Walking Alone
by SeleneDucky123
Summary: Follow Clementine as she struggles to survive the Dead and protecting her loved ones. Starting from her life with Jane, Clementine is forced to make fateful choices.
1. Jane, AJ, and Me

"Jane?" I cradled baby AJ in my arms. I stood at the door of Jane's room, knocking. "Jane?" After my third knock, I decided to barge in.

I gasped out of shock when I see Jane adjusting a noose. She stood on a wooden chair, hanging a noose on a ceiling fan. No! No! Not again! Not again! I screamed in my head. Jane doesn't seem to notice my presence, she is seemingly in her own little world.

My legs felt as heavy as bricks, my heart thundered in my chest. I did not want to be alone!

My shrill voice escaped my throat. "JANE!" My voice awoken AJ, leading him to burst out crying softly. Automatically I began to rocking him gently to calm him.

"Jane! Stop! Don't do this!" Tears rushed down my cheeks, I took a step closer to Jane. If AJ wasn't in my arms, I would have jumped on Jane to pull her down.

Jane appeared despondent, her face grew red as streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Clementine. I just can't do this…" She muttered lowly.

I walked closer to her to swiftly grab her cold wrist. "Jane, stop! You can't just do this!" My throat was raw, my voice high pitched. "Please, just think about this!" I wept.

Jane looked down at me with tearful eyes. "Clem," She whispered sorrowfully. Jane yanked her wrist away. "You don't understand…" Urgently, I snatched her wrist again, this time I gave her the hardest tug I could. Jane gasped startled, her chair slipped underneath her, scrapping on the floor. Promptly, Jane lost her balance.

Jane was like a feline, landing perfectly on her feet. She glared at me furiously. "What is wrong with you?" She snarled at me.

"You are trying to kill yourself, Jane!" I exclaimed. I refused to release Jane's wrist, I tightened my grip. "Jane, you can't do this! We are that's left!" I pleaded.

Jane doesn't try to struggle against me. Her wrist became limp, she lowered her eyes to the floor. "Clementine," Her voice was small. "Look at the floor."

Automatically, I obeyed. I scanned the floor to find what was troubling Jane.

A pregnancy test.

I gasped in shock. All I think of is Rebecca. Alvin Junior's biological Mother. I looked at AJ pensively. I felt completely mixed. AJ would have a little friend to play with now. But there will also be another mouth to feed.

I looked up at a dejected Jane. "You're pregnant." I said breathlessly.

Jane nodded solemnly. "Luke." She said curt. I felt a pang of confusion, I remembered one time when Luke and Jane were together. I did not completely comprehend how Jane was pregnant.

I glanced at the noose. "So that's why…." Jane doesn't let me finish the sentence. "Yes!" Her voice cracked. "Clementine, we can barely care for AJ. We can't take care of another one!"

I tried to lift her spirits by smiling optimistically. "Jane, please." I loosened my grip, my voice tender and gentle. "Whatever happens, we can overcome it. We will figure something out. I promise. Just don't leave."

"Clementine, remember Rebecca? Where is she now, Clem?" Jane argued.

Frustration boiled in my chest. "She turned! You know what happens when you just die! You will turn!" My anger is short lived."I get it. But we have to try. We need to survive. Together, we will figure it out. Me, you, and AJ."

I sniffled pitifully. "Please," My lungs tightened. "Please don't leave me. I need you here. AJ needs you."

Jane blinked tears away. She released out a sorrowful sob. "I am sorry, Clem. I'm sorry." She embraced me warmly. "I promise, I will be with you and AJ. I promise you." She vowed.

I couldn't tell if she was lying or not. Jane has abandoned me before. That was when our group was bigger. We had people who were strong and kind. I even found my old friend, Kenny.

But just like most groups, it broke apart.

For a short time, it was me, AJ, Kenny, and Jane. But I had to make a fateful decision. A decision where I shoot a crazed Kenny to save Jane.

"Jane, please. Don't lie to me." I urged.

Jane bit her lower lip, her eyes flashing. "I am not. I promise." Jane pulled away from me. "Clem, you are the most important person to me. Just trust me. I know I have done some stupid shit in the past. But everything will be fine now."

Jane nodded solemnly. "Thanks, Clem. I need to get some sleep." She crossed her arms, still biting her lower lip.

I couldn't help but to feel doubt. I did not want Jane to be alone. "Jane, I want you to sleep in my room." I declared.

Jane shrugged her shoulders lazily. "Fine, whatever." I gingerly grabbed her hand to escort her out of the room. I felt a pit forming in my stomach at the idea of Jane killing herself. My room was three doors away from her room. I released her hand when I opened the door.

I glanced at a cooing AJ. He was completely content despite all of the madness. I wished I was as innocent as him sometimes. "Time for bedtime, Goofball." I whispered to him. I scrolled over to his little crib across the room. Gently, I planted a light kiss on his forehead and placed him in the crib. "Night night, Goofball." I cooed.

My room was small, all I had to myself was a little dresser, a mattress, one blanket and one pillow.

"You can take the bed, Jane." I said bluntly. Jane stood by the door with an annoyed expression. "Clem, I'm fine." She reassured.

I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes at her. "Jane, come on." I insisted. Jane rolled her eyes. She exhaled heavily and plopped on my bed. I took off my hat and placed it on my dresser. Jane fell asleep fairly quickly.

I laid on the floor, pondering to myself. I was just content on being in the same room with the two most important people in my life.

 _ **Next chapter will come soon. I am working on Aishi Family, the Infection, and Mercy. Aishi Family may take longer.**_


	2. Another Beacon of Hope

The very next morning, I cared for AJ. I sat in the place me and Jane made into our little kitchen area. "Slow down, Goofball, before you choke." I giggled at a feverish AJ. I fed him as slowly as I could.

"You are really hungry, huh?" I cooed. AJ responded by drinking all of the milk in the bottle.

"Morning, Clem." I looked up to see Jane. She appeared pale. "Clem, about yesterday. I need to talk to you."

I gently cradled AJ in my arms as I scrolled over to Jane. "What?" I said, my voice hardening.

"Clementine, I am sorry." She said breathlessly. "I wasn't thinking. I thought of Rebecca. I mean where are we going to raise it?"

"Here." I said plainly. "Right here at the Hardware. We have food, we have water, we have baby stuff. I know this is scary, but we can get through this."

Jane averted her eyes from me, looking ashamed. "Clementine, a baby isn't made for this world. How is it going to protect itself?"

I gestured to AJ. "AJ is safe. We will treat him or her the same."

"I just never imagined myself as a Mom. I never even thought of it." Jane said brokenly. She then broke out into a faint smile. "You're right, Clementine." She reassured me.

I smiled back at her. I cooed at AJ, giggling at his cuteness. "You're going to have a little brother or sister to play with!" I always wanted a sibling growing up. I wanted a younger sibling to play with and cherish.

"This is going to be great!" Optimism filled me to the brim. For once, everything seemed hopeful.

Life brightened ever since that day. I watched in awe as Jane's belly grow every single passing week. Her pregnancy took a toll on her. She slept longer in the morning and I would have to force her to eat.

When she was five months, she was displaying a noticeable bump.

I have long trusted Jane to be alone. I entered her bedroom with a cooing AJ in my arms. She laid upright in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Jane?" I said loudly to seize her attention.

Jane turned her head to me. "Want something?"

"I wanted to know if you got any name for the baby." I inquired.

Jane shook her head immediately. "A little bit." She said bluntly.

I smiled at her faintly. "What?"

"Well I thought of some names….uh..I've been thinking about all of my friends in highschool. Elle...Alice..."

"What about your sister? Jamie is a pretty name." I suggest.

Jane was quiet for a moment. Then she shook her head. "No. I'm already leaning on a certain name. A friend of Jamie. Her second-best friend over me." She rubs her belly. "This kid has been doing somersaults and flips in here. Jamie used to love going to the gym with Chelsea. They were on the cheerleading team and gymnastics team together." Jane eyes the ceiling. "Chelsea was very flexible and athletic at it. The last time I saw her was when she was completing some dance competition. She was doing flips and cartwheels and she ended up winning first place."

"That's cool. Okay, Chelsea."

"What about a boy?"

Jane shrugged and said nothing.

I released out a lighthearted chuckle. "Well, maybe Luke Junior for a boy."

"Luke would love that." Jane looked at the ceiling longingly.

* * *

When Jane looked like she was going to pop, I knew the baby was going to be born at any time. It is a cool afternoon, I could hear walkers here and there pacing around the camp. Every single day, I would make sure the area is secured. I gazed around the outside.

"CLEMENTINE!" I heard Jane shout at the top of her lungs. I was walking through the hallway, heading into my room to check on AJ.

Alarm filled me to the brim, I rushed to Jane's room. When I first entered the room, I lost my footing from stepping into a puddle. I completely lost my balance and fell on my butt. I caught a glimpse of Jane sitting on her bed, her face is contorted with agony. "Clem, I think...I think...I'm going into labor!"

My lungs tightened and my palms became sweaty. "Oh my God! What do I do?" I cried.

Jane slammed a furious fist into the mattress. "Just FUCKING do something! ANYTHING!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "FUCK! THIS HURTS!"

My mind raced. I didn't know anything about childbirth. Jane kept slamming her fists into the mattress, sweat-drenched her shirt. Breathing heavily, Jane suddenly tugged off of her pants. "HELP ME!" She hollered.

Hastily, I rushed over to Jane, ripping off her pants. When I completely yanked off her pants, she ordered me to pull off her underwear. Discomfort flooded my stomach. "What do I do?" I averted my eyes from Jane's private parts. Jane just groaned in agony. She puts her legs up and spread them. She inhaled and exhaled through her gritting teeth. "Oh my God….OH MY GOD! THIS HURTS! I….I NEED TO PUSH…JUST CATCH THE KID WHEN IT COMES OUT!" She yelled.

I forced my eyes to look at her privates, I had to hold my urge to vomit. I held my hand out to catch the baby.

Jane released out a shriek when I see a glimpse of the bloody head peeking out. "I think I see him. I think I just saw his head!" I informed Jane. Jane doesn't answer me. She kept pushing the kid out. The little baby's bloody head slid into my hands. "Keep pushing! Keep pushing!" I shouted urgently. Jane's high pitched screeching pierced my eardrums. She bit down on her lower lip so hard she bled.

"OH MY GOD! THIS FUCKING HURT! HOLY SHIT! IS IT OUT YET?"

"No," I answered loudly.

After one final push, I managed to safely pull out a screaming baby girl. Wet and red-faced, still screaming her head off, thrashing about as much as her tiny limbs can. I grabbed a nearby scissor off of the floor to cut off the umbilical cord.

"It's a girl," I shouted over the screaming. I swiftly scooped up the girl, grabbing a nearby yellow blanket to clean off all of the fluid off of her. I wrapped her into a cocoon, rocking her back and forth to soothe her.

The baby proved herself to be a vocal baby. Screaming at the top of her lungs, I kept rocking her back and forth to calm her down.

"Calm down. Calm down." I whispered gently. The baby girl's screaming slowed down to a small mewl. When she opened her eyes, all I see is Luke's eyes. The warmest brown eyes I think I've ever seen. Deep as Jane's and as bright as Luke's. Despite Luke and Jane having brown hair, she has a head full of blonde hair.

The baby girl gazed around as if trying to take in everything at once. She squirmed and twisted around in her blankets. "Calm down. Calm down." I whispered patiently.

Eventually, the baby girl does stop crying. The redness in her face washed away. "She's out cold," I remarked to Jane. Jane appeared exhausted, she breathed heavily.

"Girl?" She croaked tiredly.

"Yep." I said. I held out the baby girl to Jane. "Wanna hold her?"

Jane shook her head immediately. "No. No. I'm too tired. I need to rest." Jane excused. She suddenly gagged violently. "Oh my God, I think I'm gonna throw up.."

I nodded, not wanting to force her. "Okay, but she still needs a name." Then I remembered all of Jane's popular baby names. "Elle, Alice, or Chelsea?" Jane doesn't look me in the eyes. "Chelsea..." Jane croaked weakly.

I then decided to leave Jane alone. With a swaddled Chelsea in my arms, I hurried off to my bedroom where I have put a second crib next to AJ. As I held her, I couldn't help but gaze at her. Luke was a true friend of mine. I owe him my life. To this day, I always regretted how I failed to save him. I should have been stronger, I should have been faster.

"Your Dad was a good man. He was very nice and brave." She just blinked at me and seemed to pay attention. At least, as much as a newborn can. She seems particularly interested in the items and shelves in the corridors. She wriggled a little in my arms. When she entered her new bedroom, her eyes darted back and forth. Ever so gently, I placed her in the crib to attend to AJ.

"AJ, you got a little sister now." I cooed. I walked over to Chelsea's crib to show AJ. AJ didn't have any special reaction, he simply just made cooing sounds.

"Don't worry, you will like her eventually." I encouraged. With that, I placed AJ back inside of his crib.

When nighttime arrived, Chelsea's intense crying jolted me awake. Her high pitched sobbing quickly turned into shrill shrieking. "You are hungry!" I said loudly. With that, I hurried off to gather baby formula. "Come on! Come on!" Chelsea's shrill screaming echoed throughout the hardware. Quickly, AJ, rudely awoken, joined in the screaming. My head began to throb as I rushed to make a bottle for Chelsea.

When I do, I hurried back to the room to feed her.

"Stop squirming!" I mumbled to the wiggling child. She was like a fish on a hook. Her face was beet red, her screaming pierced my eardrums. I struggled to remain calm. "Chels, calm down." I pleaded. I sat down on my bed to feed her. The only time she stopped crying was when the tip of the bottle reached her lips. She was silent as she feverishly drank her milk.

"You are going to be a handful. I can tell." I said airily. I thought of a nickname for Chelsea. Goofball belongs to AJ, so I pondered to myself. Then I remembered the buttercups I saw outside.

"Hey, Buttercup." I cooed sweetly. Chelsea blinked at me and finished her bottle. Once she was comfortable, I placed her into her crib. Thankfully for me, Chelsea slept peacefully for the entire night.

When the morning arrived, Chelsea wakes up with a grating little wail. I scoop her up in my arms to feed her. _Maybe Jane should breastfeed her. We need to save the formula._ I rush into her bedroom, Jane lies limply in her bed but isn't asleep. She turns her head to me when she hears Chelsea's soft wailing. I glance down at Chelsea. She is still mewling, but she is staring directly at Jane. Scanning her from head to toe with curiosity.

"Hungry?" Jane already knows what she needs to do. I knelt down to Jane, handing Chelsea to her. Sure enough, as soon as she unbuttoned her shirt, Chelsea suckling hungrily, pressed against her chest.

Jane's eyes flash with an enigmatic emotion. "I hope she doesn't addict to this."

"We need to preserve our resources." I declare.

"Here take her!" Jane huffed. She wiped beads of sweat off of her forehead.

Jane was still exhausted from childbirth and was bedridden for three days.

I visited Jane alone on the third day. She laid idly in bed, wide awake. "Jane, Chelsea is finally asleep."

Jane doesn't say a word. She simply nodded and kept her eyes glued to the ceiling.

I did my best to pry out small talk out of her. "She is a little firecracker. Almost every minute, she is screaming and wailing over something." A giggle escaped my throat. "Hopefully AJ doesn't try to copy her."

Jane still refused to speak to me. The prolonging silence disturbed me. "Um...Jane?" I croaked. "Are you okay?"

Then Jane suddenly spoke. She didn't look at me once and her voice was monotone. "Clementine, I want you to scan the camp for walkers. Make sure no asshole is trying to rob us."

I raised my eyebrow in confusion. "What? I already did."

Jane appeared annoyed, her arms crossed and her eyes narrow. "Clem, you need to be prepared for anything. Anything at all."

"I know. But I already checked the place. Everything is fine." I insisted stubbornly.

"Just double-check. Just in case. We have two babies here and you need to make sure everything is secure." Jane urged.

I exhaled in defeat. "Fine."

With that, I headed out of Jane's room. Armed with my gun and hunting knife, I scanned the hardware for any opening for robbers. We had one family rob us before we first arrived here. I thought I was smart not to let them in, but they showed up the very next day and robbed us.

I saw several walkers wandering around, but they were not close enough to the hardware itself.

"Everything is clear." I announced to myself. I trotted back to the hardware to talk to Jane.

"Jane?" I called out. The ear piercing wailing of Chelsea echoed throughout the building. I hurried to Jane's room, her door is closed. I knocked on her door. "Jane?" I called out. There is no answer. My heart quickened.

My mind raced with panic. My knocking became vigorous. "Jane, open up! Please!" I cried. Finally, I twisted the knob, with AJ and Chelsea's screaming in the background.

"OH MY GOD!" I gasped. I was met with the terrifying sight of a barren room. All of Jane's items were missing. There was no Jane in sight.

"JANE, NO!" I burst into tears.

Chelsea and AJ's feverish cries pierced my eardrum as realization washed over me.

She left. She abandoned us.

 _ **Next chapter will come soon. I am working on my other stories. Reviews and thoughts.**_

 _ **Now the story will go down a present tense route in the next chapter.**_


	3. The New Frontier

_The five months after Jane left was the hardest months of my life. I hoped that Jane would return, but deep down I knew she was never coming back._

 _I had to take care of her daughter, Chelsea and Rebecca's son, Alvin Junior._

 _Taking care of two babies was difficult, but doable in first two months. But as time went on, food and resources ran out and we had to leave Howe Hardware._

 _With the very little items I have left, I take the kids out into the forest._

 _During the first few days of traveling, I worried about my chances of surviving. AJ was a quiet baby, but he would loudly cry when he sees a Walker._

 _Chelsea was worse. She was a very excitable baby. Even when there are no walkers, she is always babbling gibberish as if she is talking to me. When she is hungry, she will scream. If she was tired, she will cry. When she sees a Walker, she will scream and cry. Chelsea is a handful compared to AJ._

 _When a walker approach us, I kill it as fast as I can. Whenever I see a massive herd, I avoid it at all cost._

 _I stay in any shelter I can find. Abandoned cabins, cars, anything that could hold me and the babies. Nothing ever was easy. Food is scarce and resources were difficult to find._

 _It wasn't until Ava came into my life._

With a shrieking Chelsea in my arms and a whimpering AJ on my back, I sprint through the forest away from Walkers.

My eyes darts left and right to find shelter. Thankfully I am lucky enough to find a abandoned hut.

"We can hide in here." I breathe.

I do my best to keep the rusty door of the hut shut. The abandoned hut I choose to stay in is not the best fortress for walkers. Multiple swarms the hut, but I keep a level head. AJ is taking a little nap as I care for Chelsea.

I decide to help Chelsea with her walking. Compared to AJ, Chelsea is already babbling and now she is trying to walk. I hold her small hands as she struggles to balance her chubby legs. "You can do it. You can do it." I encourage.

Her footsteps are shaky, making her nearly stumble several times. Chelsea attempts to yank her hands out of my grip, whimpering feverishly.

"Ma! DA!" Chelsea whines.

Her high pitched voice pierces my ear. "Calm down, Chelsea. You need me to hold your hands first."

This only makes Chelsea angrier. Her words just turns into angry cries. I shush her to avoid waking AJ.

"MAAA! MMM!" She gives me one good yank away and stumbles to the hard floor. Chelsea doesn't cry when she hits the floor. She does her best to push her up to her feet. When she takes a long time, I attempt to assist her.

"MAAAA!" Chelsea protests fiercely. She jerks out my reach so I couldn't help her. I sigh exhausted as Chelsea uses an old chair to pick herself up.

I rub my throbbing temples. I never knew babies could be so strong willed. AJ is a easy baby, so I believed all babies were the same.

Then I hear the emanating sounds of Walkers. They were coming closer and closer. As if they were following something.

None of the babies are calm. AJ wakes up and releases out high pitched whimpering awhile Chelsea is releasing out shrill sobs. Chelsea

"Hush!" I say gently. AJ obeys me, softening his whimpering.

Then I see the rusty door begin to jerk.

My body braces itself, I grab my gun, preparing to shoot.

A desperate woman's voice calls out to me. "Hi? Hello? Let me in!"

I keep quiet. I hurry to the door to block it with my body weight. "Fuck this!" The full force of the door impacts me, nearly making me tumble to the floor.

A bullish, bald woman barges inside of the hut and uses her body to barricade the door. "Dammit!" She mutters. I promptly aim my gun at her. "Who are you?" I demand.

"HELP ME!" The woman pleads. As if on cue, the door is slowly being overwhelmed with the weight of walkers. I run to the door to assist her. That's when I see a large piece board near the door. "I got an idea!" I say.

Swiftly, I hurry around the woman and grab the board. "Move!" I tell her. The woman jerks away as I use the wood to barricade the door.

I feel my body relaxing slightly. I take this moment to inhale and exhale deeply.

"Baa.." Chelsea cooes, she attempts to walk over to us only for her to stumble on her stomach.

The woman chuckles under her breath. "Cute kid." She comments.

I turn around to her, keep my gun drawn. "Who are you?" I demand, inching towards Chelsea. "Are you bit?"

"Ava. And no. I'm not bitten." She answers me. Ava then gives me a small smile. "You?"

"Clementine." I reply precisely.

Ava eyes the babies. "Wow. Two babies at the same time." She remarks with concern flashing in her dark eyes. "Got a name?"

I pick up Chelsea, only for her to squirm out of my grip, landing on her butt. "Time for naptime." I whisper gently. But Chelsea is not having it, when I reach out to her, she promptly crawls away from me. "MAA! MAA!" She protests loudly.

Ava chuckles amused. "Wow. Looks like you got a little rebel. Kid got a big personality."

"Yeah, she does." I say back softly.

"Before the world went to shit, I use to babysit babies just like her all the time. You just gotta let them tire themselves out." Ava says.

I didn't have any interest in learning anything about Ava. "How long are you going to be here?" I demand.

"Until the walkers clear." Ava explains precisely.

I then debate forcing Chelsea to make take a nap. But I worry about the usual screaming and wailing from a finicky baby. With the walkers swarming the hut, screeching from a baby will make them go berserk. So I allow Chelsea to crawl around the hut freely. "Maaaa!" Chelsea babbles, taking an curious interest in Ava. When she begins to crawl over to her and I snatch her up. "No!" I scold her.

Expectedly, Chelsea screams at the top of her lungs. The walkers slams themselves on the walls of the hut roughly. The sickening groaning fills the room. All of my muscles tightens with panic. "Chelsea, stop!" I whisper harshly.

"It's okay. We're fine. This hut is strong enough." Ava reassures me. I begin to cradle Chelsea in my arms, whispering to her to calm her to no avail.

"Chelsea, please." I beg. "What's wrong? Are you hungry? Do you have to go to the bathroom?" I glance ashamed at Ava. I feel so stupid not being able to calm Chelsea down. "Sorry about her." I apologize.

I hold Chelsea close to me, she begins to slam her fists onto my chest in defiance.

"It's fine, Clementine. Really. I get it." Ava's voice is gentle and understanding. "You seem to be a tough kid. Not alot of kids points a gun in my face." She remarks.

I nod. "Thanks."

Ava appears hesitant, she rubs her bald head. "I know you don't know me or anything, but you look like you need the help. There's a good place that would suit you well. It's full of food and water. You won't have to hunt or kill Walkers ever again," She pulls up her right arm sleeve to show me an odd symbol branded into her skin. It looks like a snake inside of a circle. "We call ourselves The New Frontier. We are a good group full of good people who would like to help you and the little ones."

I am dubious. I barely know this woman. I have no intentions of coming to her home. "No thanks. I rather not be with groups anymore." I affirm.

"Are you sure?" Ava coaxes.

"Positive." I say swiftly. Chelsea's screaming turns into high pitched whimpering. Sometimes she tire herself out during her screaming fits. Her face is beet red, contorted with anger and frustration. AJ is quietly sitting by, gazing at Ava and me. I am so glad that he hasn't copied Chelsea's behavior yet.

Ava crosses her arms and looks down at the floor. "Well we are close by if you change your mind. Several miles from here. You'll see our symbol and you'll be at a barrier. Just say you know me and I'll help you out."

I glare at Ava. "Ava, I am fine. Me and the kids are fine." I declare.

Ava puts her hands up in defeat. "Fine. Fine. I'm not trying to force you. I'm just telling you all of your options."

Chelsea finally ceases her incessant wailing. She stares curiously at Ava, she reaches out her hand to Ava.

"Pee...pee..boo." Chelsea babbles, smiling widely. I glance at AJ, he appears cautious of Ava, averting his eyes from her completely.

Ava chuckles lightly. "Seems like this one really likes to meet new people."

I sigh heavily, glad that she stop screaming. "I guess. It's been awhile since we been around people."

Chelsea struggles to squirm out of my arms. "BOO! BOO! MA! MA!" She huffs when I hold onto her.

I'm losing my patience. "Chelsea, please…" I whisper in her ear. "Time for naptime." With that, I place the fussy child on the little bed. I make sure to put her far away from the edge. But Chelsea is not having it. I can hear her upcoming screaming growing inside of her. A throbbing sensation takes over my brain.

Then Ava comes into her point of view. "Clementine, mind if I hold her?" She ask me.

"YES!" I blurt out. With that, Ava scoops Chelsea up. Amazingly, Chelsea completely calms down. She smiles brightly, tugging at Ava's shirt. She bounces and squirms energetically in her arms. Ava affectionately rustles Chelsea's growing blonde hair.

"Booo! Boo! Da! Da!" Chelsea squeals happily. I stare at Ava as my mind races. Is Ava doing something special? Chelsea is so happy. I think. Chelsea is beaming with delight.

I glance at AJ. I sit next to him, placing a arm around him. "Hi, Goofball." I chirp. AJ responds by yawning. I chuckle amused. "I'm tired too. Wanna to nap again?" With that, I gently places him on his back. Peacefully, AJ falls asleep.

I turn my head to Ava cradling a content Chelsea. "My Mom use to call me a difficult baby. She said that I would scream all day and night for no reason. My Mom was obsessed with making me a singer because I could scream for so long," She glances at AJ. "He seems to be the easy one."

I nod. "Definitely. But Chelsea is sweet. She's a handful, but she's sweet."

I watch in awe as Chelsea falls asleep in Ava's arms. "Wow. Chelsea almost never falls asleep willingly." I start feeling regretful for being rude to Ava. She seems helpful enough.

"It's fine. She must have tired herself out."

I smile at Ava. "Thanks for helping out. I'm sorry about being such an asshole." I apologize.

Ava smiles brightly at me. "No problem. Gotta be careful who you trust. I just wanted you to have a backup plan if something goes wrong. I know you can take care of yourself. But you do have two little babies. Babies can be difficult to have around," She gestures to Chelsea. "Babies don't understand anything and they definitely don't have great patience."

I exhale deeply. "Yeah," I rub my throbbing temples. "I know." I mumble.

Ava scoots closer to me and puts a warm hand on my shoulder. "Clementine, please just think about the New Frontier."

I nod, pondering.

Reviews and thoughts. Next chapter will come soon.


	4. A Cry For Help

I listen to the light rain tapping on the rusty walls of the hut. It's been a full week since Ava came into my life. I chose to stay in the hut since it was the only longstanding shelter I had.

Ava was kind to me. When she left, I thought I would never see her again. But two days later, Ava returned to the hut with baby products, canned food, water, and baby toys.

I watch Chelsea soundly sleep. AJ sits nearby her and doesn't make a sound.

AJ is fully rested and Chelsea is fast asleep. She is snuggled in a light pink blanket gifted from Ava.

I gently place a hand over her warm forehead.

"Crap." I whisper aloud. "This fever just won't go down." I have begged Ava to give me medicine, but she refused to do so. All she gave me was cough drops and a can of soup.

"Come on, Clementine. Think. What should you do?" I say to myself.

Gently, I pick up Chelsea in my arms, swaddling her in the blankets. My blood runs cold when Chelsea doesn't make a fuss about this. She opens her eyes and she appears dazed. Chelsea lets out a wet cough, her body becomes limp. I press my hand on her hot forehead and my heart skips a beat when I feel her temperature increase.

I almost beg Chelsea to start being fussy. In a way, that will assure me that she is healthy enough to scream her lungs out. But instead the sick child is pale with a high fever. Chelsea begins to cough loudly, I could hear the mucus in her lungs.

"Don't worry, I'll get you help!" I vow. I glance at AJ. He is seemingly unaffected by Chelsea's illness, but I did not want to take chances.

The New Frontier. I think. That's the only place I think could help Chelsea. I had no other options.

I resolve myself to go to the New Frontier to get help. I am still on the fence about residing in the New Frontier.

Without wasting another second, I pack up my backpack. I put on the baby slings on me, one on my back and the other on my chest. AJ is on my back and Chelsea is on my chest. When I exit the hut, it begin to drizzle. I hear nor see any Walkers, but I keep a brisk pace as I walk.

AJ is softly muttering to himself awhile Chelsea is as worryingly silent. "You're going to be fine, Chels." I whisper quietly.

Chelsea doesn't look up at me, I see her body becoming limp with exhaustion.

I trudge through the forest with my gun drawn. I did not want to have close combat with Walkers, so I make sure to evade the roaming Walkers as I head to the New Frontier.

I always believed I had a photographic memory. I recall the directions Ava gave me, following her path. I find myself walking for four hours when I finally find it.

A massive wall with the New Frontier mark printed inside of it. The wall nearly makes my mouth drop. It is so sturdy, so safe. I look up the wall to see armed men standing at the top. Cautiously I place my gun in my pant pocket and I head straight for the wall.

As I walk, I glance at Chelsea to check on her. I place my hand on her hot forehead. My heart jerks when I feel sweat dripping onto my fingers.

Chelsea makes no sound, she is completely limp, seemingly asleep. AJ cooes softly to himself.

"I have two kids with me! I know Ava!" I force myself to shout. My body is tensed, preparing for walkers to be attracted to me.

A burly man with a AR-15 aimed at me glares at me. "Who are you?"

"Clementine. I know Ava. She told me she would help me if I came here."

A bald man with bushy mustache is next to him, he doesn't have a gun aimed at me and he examines me. "Clementine?" He tastes my name in his mouth. "You know Ava?" From his tone, he believes I'm lying.

I narrow my eyes coldly. "Find Ava. She knows me. Tell her Clementine is here."

The burly man lowers his weapon slightly. "Give up your weapons." He commands.

My blood runs cold. I don't want to be defenseless, especially with two babies in my possession.

"I have two kids with me." I reject. "I don't feel comfortable being defenseless."

The burly man doesn't care. "Then leave." He snarls.

I inhale deeply, struggling to relax all of my strained muscles. With a quivering hand, I yank out my hunting knife, dropping it on the ground. I listen out for Walkers, even when I hear nothing, I am still alert. I slowly pull out my gun, gently placing it by my feet.

"No more weapons." I announce. "Please, she's sick." I gesture to Chelsea. "Please help." I could feel the tears building in my eyes.

The bald man nods solemnly at me awhile the burly man continued to glare at me. He whirls around and disappears out of my sight.

"AVA!" The bald man yells out at the top of his lungs. "Clementine is here."

Within minutes, the rusty doors of the barrier opens. Ava appears before me, her eyes glimmering with compassion. Stone faced guards marches behind her.

Almost instantly I run to her, her expression becomes alarmed. "Please help! Chelsea is sick!" I blurt.

Her voice is serious. "You and the kids needs to be put in Quarantine first. Check you for bites. Then we will give your kiddos some medical treatment."

I didn't protest, I respect this type of caution. "No problem." With that, Ava gestures the guards to surround me. Promptly they conduct me through the town, I see sturdy buildings and survivors roaming freely.

Wow. This place looks great! I think impressed.

I am conducted deeper into the community and down into the Quarantine center. A wide locker room inside of a gym.

The guards thoroughly checks me and the babies for bites. Their hands rubs on my skin to find any trace of a bite. Of course, they find nothing.

"All clear." One guard announces.

I turn to Ava, gesturing to Chelsea. "She's sick! Please help!" I plead. Ava smiles at me faintly. "We got a doctors here. Don't worry." She reassures me. With that, me and Ava departs from the Quarantine Center and outside. I have no interest in gazing at my surroundings. I am escorted to the medical center of the community.

The hospital is tall and ransacked. We walk up the staircase to one of the rooms. The room is wide with one wide window."Julia, got a minute?" Ava ask upon entering the room.

I see a tall, blonde woman approach Ava. She looks to be in late 20s. The woman smiles kindly at me. "What's your name?"

"Clementine, Miss. Can you please help me?" I plead. I release Chelsea from the sling and I hold up her up. "She's sick. She has a high fever!"

Julia is reassuringly calm. "Don't worry, Clem. I'll take care of your little girl." She grins. Julia takes Chelsea and holds her in her arms. The poor thing is limp and lethargic. Sweat drips off of her forehead. I am completely terrified. "Do you want to stay, Clementine? Or is Ava gonna give you a tour?"

I don't wait. "I'm staying." With that, I remove a quiet AJ from my back sling. "We're going to wait for Chelsea to get better." I tell him in a gentle voice.

Ava smiles at me approvingly. "Awesome. I'm gonna get a place for you to stay. Do you want a one bed apartment or two bed apartment?"

I turn my head to Ava. "I never said I'm going to live here." I point out.

Ava chuckles lightly."Well I still have to go. Find me if you change your mind." With that, she departs the room.

Julia immediately begins to examine Chelsea. I remember all of the time I went to the doctors. It was during the old days, when the dead was dead.

Julia places a thermometer in Chelsea's mouth. Once the thermometer beeps, Julia pulls it out. She pensively looks at it.

Julia finishes her examination of Chelsea. Julia glances at me. "I need to take blood." She informs me. I nod without question. "Okay." _As long as Chelsea gets better_. I think. Julia gently places Chelsea on her back on the bed. Julia leaves the room to retrieve the proper needle.

Chelsea is fast asleep, unable to stay awake for long period.

"What is wrong with you, Chels?" I whisper to myself. She was completely healthy weeks ago. I did not see a way she could contact an illness. No one was sick.

Julia returns to the room with a long needle. I feel chills run down my spine from the sight of it. I remember when I would get my flu shots and how terrified I would be.

Julia briskly walks over to the baby, she gives her a gentle shake to wake her up. Chelsea appears dazed, her eyes are glassy. I watch Julia adjust the needle, once she is finished, Julia speaks to me. "Clem, can you please hold her for me?"

I obey without a word. I place AJ on the floor, his attention is glued to my movement. I hurry over to Chelsea, wrapping my arms around her to keep her in place.

Julia scrolls over to the counter to grab alcohol and a disinfectant wipe. "Hold her tightly." Julia orders me as she returns to us. She grabs Chelsea's right arm, trying to find the right vein to draw blood.

Once the tip of the needle digs into Chelsea's skin, all of her exhaustion is replaced with hysteria. Her pale face grow faint red, tears rush down her cheeks. Her ear splitting scream nearly bust my eardrums. Her screaming is so high pitched I believed that the glass of the nearby window would shatter. I hate hearing her scream like this and I contemplate telling Julia to stop hurting her.

"Done." Julia says calmly, pulling out the needle. I see all of Chelsea's blood in the syringe. Chelsea stops screaming and she sobs violently. I am amazed by Julia's composure. She didn't even flinch when Chelsea was screeching her lungs out.

Julia gives me a piece of cloth to stop Chelsea's bleeding. I hold it on the wound for a half minute until Julia gently places a bandage on it.

"All done," Julia says. "Wait here, please. I have some lollipops." With that, Julia walks over to the top cabinet to pull out a jar of colorful lollipops. She takes Chelsea away from me.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"She needs an X-Ray." Julia informs me. With that, she departs from the room. I sit down, waiting with AJ for Chelsea to return. It is a long time, a full hour to be exact. I decide to give AJ a lollipop, his eyes blowing up with joy upon tasting sweets for the first time.

I got myself one, remembering all the times I ate candy in the old days. Chocolate, taffy, cotton candy. I miss that so much.

When Julia returns, she doesn't have Chelsea with her. Immediately, I spring out of my chair with AJ in my arms. Glaring furiously at Julia, I raise my voice. "Where is Chelsea?"

Julia is composed. "Calm down, Clementine. It's fine. Chelsea is in the Emergency Room."

My eyes widen with shock. "What?" I gasp.

Julia gives me a serious look. "Do you know what pneumonia is, Clementine?"

I have never heard that word. It's long and confusing. Is it another name for the flu or the cold? I shake my head. "No." I admit.

"Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs." Julia explains.

I feel my tears building in my eyes. I was still confused. "Is it….deadly?"

Julia is brutally honest. "Yes," When she sees the horror on my face, Julia reassures me. "If it's too severe. If you don't get proper treatment. She will be fine, Clem. I promise."

I feel myself trembling with fright. The thought of Chelsea dying increases my chances of having a emotional meltdown. Julia nods solemnly. "Her body is fighting the infection. Her fever is extremely high. Poor kid. But thankfully we have antibodies. We're giving it to her through the vein. I think it's best to keep her in the hospital for now."

I contemplate what I'm going to do now. On the bright side, Chelsea is being cared for. Now, I have no desire to return to the hut. Clearly it's not a suitable place for a sick child. Perhaps The New Frontier will be better than the hut. I didn't want to leave Chelsea here at the hospital, but AJ needs food and rest.

"Clem, you are very young." Julia remarks, concern flashes in her blue eyes. "Are you alone?"

I didn't see a reason to lie. "Yes."

Julia's eyes flashes. "Oh. Well who are the parents of these children? They're clearly not yours."

"Rebecca and Alvin were Alvin Junior's parents. And Jane and Luke were Chelsea's parents." My voice softens. "They're dead. All of them."

"Where do you live? It must be hard to have two little kids." Julia inquire.

"In a hut." I admit, not seeing a reason to lie.

Julia appears dubious, as if she is contemplating something. "Clem, you ever thought of adoption? You seem too young to care for babies. You're a child yourself, honey. There's a place that will take good care of…" I don't let her finish her sentence.

"No!" I glare at Julia, beginning to dislike her. "I can take care of them and myself! Thank you!" My voice is cold as ice.

Julia is taken aback from my intensity. I don't stop. "I understand you want to help! But I am not giving them up! I can take care of them!"

Julia averts her eyes from me. "Well if you change your mind.." She says passively.

"I won't!" I snap. I have no interest in indulging in this conservation.

Julia changes the subject. "What are you planning to do?"

"Look for an apartment. I'm going to be a member of the New Frontier." I declare.

 _ **Next chapter will come soon.**_


	5. A New Start

With AJ in my arms, I walk out of the hospital to look for Ava. My mind races with anxiety. The open air, the secure walls, the carefree children meandering the area. I feel like I'm dreaming. I couldn't believe a place like this still exists.

My spirits gradually lifts. I smile at AJ. "Well, Goofball looks like we found a brand new home," I whisper at him.

"Where do I find Ava?" I ask myself. I want to kick myself for not asking Ava beforehand. I decide to go find someone who looks like they are an official.

That's when a man with the New Frontier mark engraved in the side of his neck calls out to me.

"Hi! You're Clementine, right?" I whirl around at the sound of my name. The man is middle-aged and brawny with dark hair and dark eyes. "Yeah," I say with caution. The man walks over to me with a faint smile. "Name's David. David Garcia. Welcome to Richmond. Ava told me all about you." David extends out a firm hand to me. "Nice to finally meet you." He says.

I shake his hand with my free hand promptly. "Thanks. Where's Ava? I need to talk to her." I say bluntly.

"Busy," I frown at his answer. David gives me a reassuring look. "But I'll do it instead. I'm on my lunch break right now, so we're gotta hustle." With that, I follow David down the street to the housing area. He escorts me through the streets of apartments, I feel the blazing sun baking the Earth, I listen attentively to my surroundings. So much carefree chattering from happy go lucky citizens.

"Ava told me that you have two kiddos with you." He gives me a sympathetic look. "Must be hard."

I didn't say anything in response, I merely nod. All I care about is finding a home.

"Can I get a two bedroom home?" I inquire. I want a spacious place for AJ and Chelsea when they grow up.

"Sure," He gestures to the apartments across from us. "Which one? You can pick anyone you want." I gaze at the apartments and I am amazed by its beauty.

"A two-bed apartment." I declare. David nods agreeably. "Sure. Come on." With that, he ushers me into the apartment complex. "This is complex has a playground. Not to mention, it's close to the hospital. Bet you'll like it." I say nothing, AJ is softly cooing in my arms.

David escorts me up the staircases to bring me to the very top floor. "Um…." He points to an apartment door that is at the middle of the hallway. 801. David pulls out his keys to unlock the door.

Upon entering the apartment, my breath is taken away. It is a quaint place with eggshell walls and wooden floors. The apartment consisted of an adjoined kitchen/living room, one bathroom, and two bedrooms. I love it instantly.

"You're lucky. This one's a keeper." David remarks. He chuckles under his breath, closing the door. "Ava was talking obsessively about you. She really wanted you to come here with the kids. Ava always had a soft spot for babies."

I arch an eyebrow. "So this is why I'm getting so much special stuff?"

David nods. "Kinda. Well, not the apartments exactly. We had a bad winter and lots of the apartments are vacant." There is an underlying of sorrow in his tone.

I lower my eyes to the floor, feeling bad for asking. "Sorry," I say softly. Swiftly, I change the subject, my eyes glued to his mark. "That's the New Frontier mark, right?"

David grins proudly. "Yep, had it burned it." He explains.

"Do I have to get one?" I ask cautiously.

David shrugs his shoulders. "Never gave the mark to kids, so no. Maybe when you're older. The process isn't easy."

David then promptly gives the tour of the apartment. The bedrooms are fair sized with wide windows. The bathroom is close to the Master bedroom. There is already beds in the rooms that appear comfortable.

"Do you like it, Goofball?" I coo at AJ. AJ observes his surroundings with wide eyes.

"I love it." I remark with a smile.

David smiles at me. "Awesome. It's yours. I can get you some baby stuff for the kids."

I'm so happy, I'm close to tears. "Thank you!" I say, unable to retain my happiness. I feel so much weight lift off my shoulders.

David and I sit on the couch. AJ is comfortable enough to fall asleep in my arms. David glances at AJ with an unreadable emotion. "So how's the girl?" David ask me.

I didn't see a reason to not to tell him. All of my emotions dampens. "Sick. Very sick." I mutter.

"What's wrong?" He periodically glances at his wristwatch.

"Pneumonia." David's eyes widen with shock. His eyes reflect with compassion. "Well, the hospital will take good care of her, Clem."

I smile brightly. For once, I feel this ray of hope inside of me.

"Thank you, David."

* * *

I visit Chelsea the very next day. With AJ in the sling, I enter the ER of the hospital. There are not many doctors and nurses here. I count at least a five-person staff at best. An assistant escorts me to Chelsea's room. My heart sinks when I see her. Tubes and IVs of fluid are hooked into her. Snuggled with blue blankets, Chelsea is fast asleep. A brown haired nurse stands next to her bed, watching over her.

"How is she?" I demand the nurse.

The nurse looks up at me with confusion. "Are you Clementine?" She asks me.

I nod instantly. "Yes," My eyes fixate on Chelsea. "I'm her caretaker."

The nurse turns her sight on Chelsea. "She's doing better. She has a bad case of pneumonia. She already ate and drank, all she needs now is rest." I take a sigh of relief. "Thank you." The nurse flashes me a broad smile. "She'll be out three weeks or less. Depending on her recovery." I sit down in a chair near Chelsea's bed to watch over her. AJ reaches out at Chelsea, cooing feverishly.

"Don't worry, AJ. She's going to be fine." I'm not allowed to stay long, at least three hours since pneumonia is contagious I had to keep AJ and myself out of the room. When Chelsea wakes up, I'm outside of the room, observing her from the crack of the door. She breaks out into a fit of sickening coughs and the nurse asks me to leave.

"She's going to be fine," I reassure AJ, even though I was really reassuring myself. I feel guilt rushing through me. I regret not taking Ava's offer immediately, if I did, things would be different. I head out of the hospital and I go to my apartment.

When I come up to my floor, I see Ava standing by my door. When she sees me, she smiles. "Hi, Clem. Got a surprise for you."

I arch an eyebrow. "What?" I ask.

Ava answers me by pull out an apartment key and unlocking my door. I find it so weird that there's more than one key to my apartment. Worries of people barging into my apartments forms in my mind. Ava grins at me, beckoning me to come inside.

When I enter the apartment, I scan the kitchen/living room. Nothing looks different. "You're going to love what we did." Ava remarks, escorting me to the second bedroom. Upon entering, I gasp out of shock, my heart thumps in my chest.

The room was designed for two babies. On the right side, there is a brown wooden crib and on the left side is a white, wooden crib. The left side is clearly for Chelsea. I see a white nightstand near her crib, dolls and teddy bears are positioned on the nightstand. There are two dressers on the two sides, Chelsea's dresser is white and AJ's dark brown. AJ's side has toy trucks and action figures. There is a bookshelf that has several children books and two toys for each of the two.

I put AJ down to let him explore. He doesn't explore, keeping close to me. "Come on, AJ. Look at your new room!" I urge him with a grin.

I break out into a smile, thinking of Chelsea and AJ playing in this room.

"Thank you, Ava! I should have taken your offer!" I say happily.

Ava shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. "No problem," She points to the dressers. "There's diapers and some clothes in there." Before I know it, my arms are locked around Ava, giving her a happy embrace.

"Thank you!" I say.

* * *

My life in Richmond is drastically different. Finally, I didn't have to hunt. There is a nearby grocery store with fruits, vegetables, and canned food. My tensed nerves are able to lessen finally, even though I still have a gun under my pillow. I would visit Chelsea in the hospital every single day. Her health improves eevery timeI come. Her pale skin is replaced with her original peachy skin. She still lets out wet coughs, but they're not as violent. I'm still not allowed to be in the room for long. But Chelsea is already moving and babbling without care.

At the end of the third week, Chelsea is healthy as a horse. I'm smiling ear to ear when I take her out of the hospital with AJ. Chelsea gazes at her surroundings with curious eyes. Her eyes flick to people as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"You're going to love your new room." Chelsea looks up at me as I speak. In my chest sling, she kicks her feet up and down to entertain herself.

When I enter my apartment, Chelsea's movement becomes feverish. "MAA! MAA!" She cries. Her high pitched voice pierces my eardrums.

Usually, this would annoy me, but I'm too overwhelmed by her recovery. I release her from the sling to allow her to explore. Chelsea crawls fiercely into the living room. I release AJ from his sling, hoping he would explore with us. AJ stays close to me. Despite us being here for weeks, he is slow to warm up to his surroundings. Chelsea still retains persistence for walking. She pulls herself up by grabbing the edge of the couch. I watch in awe as she manages to stand up.

An excited smile forms on her face as she takes her very first step. When she starts stumbling, I hurry over to her.

When she sees me, her eyes flare up and her face grows red.

"No! No! Stop before you hurt yourself!" I grab Chelsea's arms. This sets her off instantly. Her screeching is ear-splitting and passionate. I do not let her go, I pick her up, struggling to control my frustration. AJ is watching us in the background with an observant expression.

"NO!"

My mouth drops with astonishment at the sound Chelsea's first word.

I hold Chelsea up with wide eyes, she is squirming fiercely to escape my grip. "NO!" When she speaks, her voice is clear and shrill.

 _Did Chelsea really just say her first word?_ I think in disbelief. I glance at AJ, filling with concern. AJ has not spoken a clear word, barely walking. Chelsea is months younger than him, but yet she is already starting to walk and talk.

Am I doing something wrong? I always believed that AJ would just start talking and walking on his own. _Is there something wrong with him?_ I didn't want to think about that, I dismiss the thought. _He will walk and talk when he does._ I think.

Chelsea is still upset, sobbing her heart out. "You need a nap," I say. "Come on. Naptime." Chelsea is screaming and crying as I hurry into her new bedroom. I put her in her crib, laying her down on her back.

"NO! NO!" Chelsea keeps repeating her first word. I close the door when I leave the room, Chelsea's screaming echoes through the apartment. I attend to AJ, preparing a meal for him.

I place him in his highchair, then I walk over to the fridge to get baby food for him. I spoon feed him his new favorite baby food. Banana flavored. His eyes lights up with delight when he eats.

I can't help my deep down worries for him. "AJ, say no." I instruct. AJ simply cooes, his eyes burning into mine.

The house quietens once Chelsea ceases her screaming.

"Say no." I say gently. When AJ does nothing, I decide to give a word that he hears often, other than "no,"

"Say Clem." I smile.

AJ still does nothing. He babbles, wanting more of the banana flavored baby food.

I sigh deeply. "You'll talk when you want to talk. I guess." After feeding AJ, I decide to put him to bed. Chelsea has tired herself out and is in deep slumber.

I place AJ in his crib and I lay him on his back. "Goodnight, Goofball." I coo. With that, I leave the room to take a nap myself in my own bedroom.

 _ **Next chapter will come soon. Currently writing up and updating stories.**_


	6. Downhill

_As time went on, me, Chelsea, and AJ lived peacefully in Richmond. We had food, we had hot water, and we had strong walls. Never before did I feel this safe._

 _I turn 13, AJ turns 2, and Chelsea turns 1 during our time here. AJ has started talking and walking. When he does walk, he can only take wobbly steps. He doesn't talk very much and he often keeps to himself._

 _Chelsea is the opposite. Every single day, Chelsea becomes more and more capable. Soon after learning how to walk, Chelsea began to run. After she began to run, she started to climb out of her crib, much to my chagrin. Almost every night, Chelsea would slip into my bedroom and climb on my bed, calling out "Clem."_

 _Chelsea is wicked fast, she puts in all of her energy when she runs. But thankfully she is not quiet, she tends to fall, laugh or make an object fall onto the floor. Chelsea likes to be mischievous. There are times when she would hide out of my sight, concealing herself in the lower kitchen cabinets, giggling her heart out._

 _There was one night where I put Chelsea back to bed, only for her to climb out of the crib once I exit the room to follow me._

 _I resort to letting Chelsea tiring herself out in the daytime, that way she sleeps soundly at night._

 _Chelsea is very unruly. She has an endless amount of zealous energy. I never knew a baby could be like this. If Chelsea isn't moving, Chelsea talks. When I'm making a meal in the kitchen, Chelsea would approach me, talking to me. Chelsea can say a limited amount of full sentences. She can say my nickname, but not my full name. She can say AJ, but can't say his full name. The only name she can say is her own. AJ and Chelsea, despite their personality differences, are close. Chelsea likes to talk to him, calling out his name and playing with him. AJ simply listens to her as if her babbling was the most interesting thing ever. There are times when I would let the kids outside in the playground area to release out energy. Unfortunately, Chelsea is adventurous as she is wild. She likes to run away from the unfenced playground, giggling her head off. Today, she makes me cuss more than the usual._

"NO! STOP, CHELSEA!" I bark. "DAMMIT!" I can't help my flaring temper. The child takes one look at me, smiling widely. She blows a naughty raspberry at me, then bolting away from me. I take a deep breath, AJ is contently playing in the sandbox. I rush over to him, snatching him up, interrupting his playtime. I dart after Chelsea with a sulky AJ in my arms.

"CHELSEA!" I yell as I run down the street. Chelsea is running down the street block, there are shops and stores. Citizens gawk at me running down the street like I was a maniac and I can't help but to feel embarrassed. Chelsea is relishing the attention of the curious citizens as she runs down the block. I start running full force, outrunning Chelsea completely. When I grab her arm, anger boils inside of me. I yank her into my arms with a scowl.

I hear several people whisper and snicker at this.

"You are in so much trouble!" I snarl. I proceed to storm back to the apartment. No more playtime for Chelsea.

Chelsea looks up at me with glaring eyes. "No, I'm not!" She pouts.

"I am not arguing with you!" I say hotly.

Chelsea rudely sticks her tongue at me, but I ignore it. I never like yelling, but I always find myself doing that to Chelsea. She has this knack for testing the limits.

When we are near the playground, Chelsea points at it excitedly. "I want to go to the playground!" Chelsea demands.

"No." I say bluntly.

"Why?"

"No, Chelsea."

"Why?"

"I said no, Chelsea."

Chelsea frowns unhappily at me. "I want to play!" I head into the apartment as we continue the argument.

"I want to play, Clem!" Chelsea says louder.

"No! I'm not arguing with you! You are going to time out. Now be quiet or you will lose all of your toys!"

Chelsea pouts, her eyes flares. "No! No! I don't want to! I don't want to lose my toys!" She shrieks. I make my way upstairs with Chelsea wailing and whining. My neighbors poke their heads out of their apartments to listen to Chelsea's usual tirade.

I catch the exasperating eyes of a man across my apartment door. "Keep that kid quiet. This place was quiet and nice before you came." He hisses.

I ignore the man as Chelsea's hysterical screaming continues to fill the hallway. I yank out my keys to my apartment, eager to shut myself from the judgemental eyes.

I spill into my apartment, placing AJ down in the living room. Across the room is a bright red chair. Chelsea struggles against me like a fish on a hook. "No. I don't want to go to timeout!" She shrieks. I sit Chelsea down in the chair, holding her arms to keep her in place. I stare her directly in the eyes. "You better sit here and be quiet. Or else you will lose your toys."

Chelsea begins to kick at me. "I want my toys!" She whines. "I want to play!" Her face is beet red.

I ignore her, getting up to attend to AJ. "Stay there," I order.

"Meanie!" Chelsea screams. My back is to her and I prepare AJ for his meal.

"Meanie!" When I don't respond, Chelsea bounces up and down in the chair. "Clem! Clem! Clem!"

"Come on, AJ. Time for banana mush!" I chirp to AJ. AJ flashes me a content smile. I place him in the highchair as Chelsea kicks up a fuss. "CLEM!" She wails. "CLEM!"

Finally, I can't ignore Chelsea anymore. "Chelsea, stop! Enough!" I bark, turning my head to her. Chelsea suddenly quietens, her eyes waters. "I don't like you!" She weeps.

"Stay in the chair, Chelsea."

Chelsea loses it. Chelsea rocket herself from the chair, landing on her stomach. She screams, beet-faced, squirming on the floor. My head feels like it is going to split.

I take in a deep breath to calm my nerves. I hobble off to Chelsea to pick her up. She fights me violently, arching her back, making me nearly lose my grip.

"Naptime, "I grumble under breath, clutching Chelsea close.

I hurry to the bedroom to put her in the crib. "Do not climb out of the crib!" I yell. This time Chelsea stays in her room, her shrill cries bounce off the walls.

Eventually, Chelsea calms down, once she does, her timeout is over. AJ is already fed and I take him to the bedroom for a nap. Chelsea idly lies in her crib, kicking her legs up and down.

"I want banana mush!" Chelsea demands.

All of my frustration with her is gone, I smile, walking to her crib. "Okay, Buttercup." I chirp. That's when I hear a loud knock on the front door. Holding Chelsea in my arms, I go to the front door to open it to see David. He doesn't look pleased.

"Clementine, you have been given 13 noise complaints." He tells me. His voice is grave with annoyance. I barely interacted with David since I moved here, but David's feelings towards me soured over time.

I open my mouth to defend myself, but David doesn't allow me to speak.

"Clementine, you need to do something about your kids. Lots of people are complaining about you three and I'm getting tired of these complaints. If you want to live here, you need to control your kids."

I frown offended. "Excuse me!" I gasp sharply.

David is not in the mood. "There's a brand new Daycare. Professional people can watch your kids and you can lend a hand." David says coldly.

I suppress the urge to roll my eyes. "I am taking care of them. Chelsea just has alot of energy!" I argue.

David clench his teeth in frustration. "Clementine, I am not arguing with you. I have other stuff to do and you being a brat is wasting my time. Either you put them in Daycare and make yourself useful or social services takes care of them!" He rubs his temples as he glares at me.

My heart thumps in my chest. I didn't want to let them out of my sight. "Why do you need me for?" I say giving him a cold glare.

David balls up his fists. "Clementine, we need more people. You have two choices and that's it."

I take in a deep breath, I didn't want any conflicts. "Fine." I agree. I continue to glare. "Where's the Daycare?" I hiss.

I go to the new Daycare the very next day. It is a brick house at the edge of the town with a chain linked fence surrounding it. I find it odd that it is at the edge of town where Walkers swarm the outside forest. Granted, it is separated by walls, but I still find it worrying. I can only hope it is secure.

"What's this?" Chelsea ask me. She holds my right hand awhile AJ holds my left.

"A Daycare, you'll like it." I say gently. I feel AJ looks up at me with timidity. "I don't want to go." He whines.

"You'll be fine, Goofball." I reassure. With that, we enter the Daycare's front yard. We go up to the pouch and I knock on the door.

The door opens quickly, a dark-haired woman appears in the doorway. She smiles faintly. "Hi! Welcome to the Sweet Hearts Daycare. I'm Emma." She beams. "Come in!"

The Daycare is spacious and tastefully decorated. The walls are painted a vibrant yellow with white polka dots. There are toys, yellow cubbies, and small tables. There are not many children. I count only four children. Chelsea instantly grows curious, she yanks herself out of my grip. Chelsea sprints to a dark-haired toddler girl who is sitting at a small table. She instantly begins to socialize with her, befriending her. I release AJ's hand. "Come on, go!" I coax. There is a toddler boy nearby who is playing with a toy truck. "Come on, play with him."

"No.." AJ whispers, he clings to my leg.

I resort to using the tone I often use for Chelsea. "AJ, you need to let go. I will be right back." I say strictly.

AJ obediently lets me go. He hangs his head down, slowly walking away from me. AJ seems to have no inkling of how to socialize.

Emma seize my attention. "Your kids are polar opposites." She jokes. "Don't worry, kids are like that."

"This place is safe, right?" I probe.

"The safest!" Emma reassures me. "We have an entire staff and we keep a keen eye on all of the kids. No need to worry. We have enough stuff for the kids to play with. Blocks, books, and we have an educational class for the them! There's never a dull moment here!" I nod, I briefly observe Chelsea and AJ. AJ isolate himself, coloring in a coloring book. Chelsea is enthusiastically chattering to the dark-haired girl. The girl is sheepish, struggling to keep up with Chelsea's animation. In a swift second, Chelsea manages to convince the dark-haired girl to scurry off to the building blocks.

I scan the area for reassurance. The place looks safe, but I can't help the butterflies in my stomach. "I have to go."

Emma nods with a smile. "Have a great day!" I wave at AJ and Chelsea with a forced smile. Terror flashes in AJ's eyes when he sees me departing. Chelsea is paying little attention to me.

"CLEM!" He cry.

"I'll be back!" I shout back as I proceed to head out of the Daycare.

…

I exit the back out of Richmond to meet up with David and Ava. I trudge through the thick forest to find a secure camping ground.

"Clementine," David's voice is commanding and sharp. He gives me a hunting knife. "You seem to be pretty tough for a kid. Me and Ava have been talking about your skills. You survived long enough, so you must be skillful with a weapon."

I nod and force myself to speak. "Yeah." I can't help the lack of interest in my voice.

David notices this and coldly glares at me. Ava chimes in before anything could happen. "Clem, you and I are going to hunt some rabbits. We lost a bunch of men a month ago and we've been running short of food." Ava smiles warmly at me. She pulls out a hunting knife out of her pocket. "Here. It's one of the best." She remarks, handing it to me. I smile at Ava, gazing at the sharp knife. "Thank you, Ava." David loses interest in me and heads over to a small group of armed guards.

Ava escorts me deeper in the forest. It is peacefully quiet in the forest. We walk down a narrow path, both of us armed and alert. I scan my surroundings for animals and walkers. Hours pass and there's nothing. The sun bakes the Earth, making me sweat. We then follow the little path of lush bushes and shrubbery outskirts.

"How's the kids?" Ava ask me casually.

"Good. I just left them alone for the very first time." I answer.

Ava chuckles quietly. "How was that?"

"Chelsea didn't even seem to care and AJ did."

"You made a good choice. The place has been open for at least two days and most parents like it."

I sigh softly. "I hope so."

I hear a deafening crackling of unsteady footsteps in the distance. "Walker!" I whisper harshly. As if on cue, on my left side, there are croaking Walkers coming to us. They stagger to us with hunger in their eyes. Their terrible stench burns my nostrils from afar.

Neither of us speak, we cautiously walk over to the Walkers to kill them. Jane's teaching will always stay with me. When I approach the growling Walker, I swiftly kick it's the leg, forcing it to kneel. With all of the brutality I could muster, I penetrate the Walker's skull. Blood spills out and I keep my mouth shut to avoid it getting it in my mouth. The Walker falls dead to the ground with a hard thud. I count the remaining Walkers. One…..three...seven… More staggers into my sight.

I decide to avoid close combat in a herd. There is always a chance of me being attacked from behind. The Walkers are not close to me, I have enough space to run. I inch close to Ava who is in the process of stabbing a Walker in the side of the head.

Ava complies and we both retreat together.

I feel my heart sinking. My first job and we are both empty-handed. When we return, it is the early afternoon. The guards have games to rub in our faces. Two deers, two foxes, three rabbits, and a pile of blackberries. David approach us with a dour expression. "You got nothing?" He sounds annoyed. I shoot him a glare, I have to suppress the urge to not shoot him the middle finger.

Ava isn't fazed. "Too many Walkers." She excused.

David sigh heavily. "Next time, do better."

"Will do." Ava smiles.

I just want to get Chelsea and AJ. "I need to go." I say urgently.

David crosses his arms, hardening his eyes at me. "You better be here first thing in the morning tomorrow." He commands. I can't help but roll my eyes.

"Clementine." Ava shoots me a stern look. "Don't." She scolds.

I say nothing and I hurry off. I rush through the town to go to the Sweet Hearts Daycare. It is a pleasant afternoon, everyone is outside and enjoying themselves. When I reach the Daycare, I knock on the door, eager to see Chelsea and AJ.

When the door opens, I am met with the sight of a different woman. She is tall and slender with short blonde hair. Her face is ashen and panicked. "Um...um...you're Clementine." She isn't asking me a question. My throat dries with apprehension. No. No. No. What happened? My legs become heavy.

Tears build up in her eyes. "I'm very sorry."

I feel my heart thumping fiercely in my chest. I feel the entire world going in slow motion. My mind races with all horrific scenarios. I feel my voice crawling up my throat. "What?" I demand.

"Chelsea is missing."

 _ **Next chapter will come soon. I am working on my other stories. Reviews and thoughts.**_


	7. The Forest

Chelsea is missing.

These three words lights up a unbridled anger inside of me. Emotions overflow through me. I briefly glare at the woman before storming into the Daycare. My boots thunders on the wooden floor.

"Chelsea?" I holler, hoping that she is simply hiding. But there is no answer. AJ runs over to me, tears streaming down his cheeks. "CLEM!" He wails.

I look into his big brown eyes and I see his profound fear for Chelsea. "Clem! Chels is gone!" He weeps brokenly.

Emma approaches me and I glare at her. "Where is she?" I demand, not attempting to relax my tone. "What happened?" Emma is ashen, trembling from my aggressive glare. I could not waste time. Every second counts.

"Clementine, we are very sorry. We were watching them! But Chelsea and Molly went missing during recess!" Emma breaks down into hysterical tears. I have no sympathy for this woman. Her, along with the other caretakers had one job and they still managed to fuck up. Thanks to their stupidity, two children are missing.

"STOP WASTING MY TIME!" I growl. I don't wait, I hurry to the back of the room to the back door. I yank the door open roughly. There is a little playground, it is closed off from the rustic wall of Richmond by chain link fence. The wall and fence are in poor condition, but still sturdy enough to stand. I see pieces of metal hanging off of the wall and an idea enters my mind.

Chelsea must have snuck out during recess with her new friend.

My heart is thundering in my chest. A cold sweat drenches me. No. No. My mind races with terrifying thoughts. I waste no time. I scan the Playground for any opening that Chelsea and Molly could sneak out of. Intrusive thoughts invades my mind. Profound images of Chelsea being devoured by Walkers.

I couldn't bear it if I lose her.

Then I see it. At the very back of the Playground, there is a small hole in the fence. I hurry to it and I see a loosen piece of metal in front of the hole. I jump over the fence and I grab the sides of the metal sheet. With ease, I shift it off, uncovering a fair sized hole. The sheet of metal is light enough to be moved by toddlers.

"Fucking idiots," I mumble angrily. Chelsea and AJ will no longer go here again. I want to slap every adult in this Daycare so badly.

Every second matter, I still have my hunting knife and my adrenaline pumping through my veins. I bend down, crawling as hastily as I can. When I crawl out to the other side, I'm in the forest. I rush through the shrubby long trail, scanning for Chelsea and Molly. I have my knife ready, my muscles braced. I dismiss my caution of being noisy. "Chelsea!" I yell at the top of my lungs. If there are Walkers, I can hope I can lure them away from the children and to me.

I'm running down the path, looking left and right with my knife prepared. A lump forms in my throat. The feeling of desperation claws up my chest, I feel tears building up in my eyes.

"CHELSEA!" I scream. Doggedly, I continue to follow the path with tears streaking down my cheeks.

Then I see a beacon of hope.

One of Chelsea's dark sneakers lays in the middle of the trail.

Ferocious and predatory barking rings through the forest.

"CLEM!" Chelsea's shrill scream blares through the forest. There are ferocious snarling nearby and terror washes over me. I run as fast as I can down the path. The growling escalates, but I can't find the source. I sprint to Chelsea's voice.

"CLEM!" Chelsea shrieks when she sees me. Her and her trembling Molly are hanging on a low branch of a tree. Molly is ashen, her little face paralyzed with terror.

My blood runs cold and my heart impulses at the sight of one of my worst fears. A small pack of coyotes is circling the tree hungrily. They are inching slowly to the tree, ready to pounce on the children.

"HEY!" I yell, I seize the coyotes' attention. Charging to them, I make sure all of their attention stays on me. The coyotes bares their sharp teeth as it is slowly stalking to me. My arms and legs are trembling, my mind races. I yell at myself internally to kill it. I assume there are more roaming through the forest. I hang on the hope that the children are alive and that alone fuels me. I lunge for the first one that pounces at me, I attempt to slash it's throat. But the coyote is agile and dodges my strike.

The coyote clamps it's jaw into my right thigh. So much adrenaline is pumping through me, I can't even feel the pain. Automatically I penetrate my knife into the side of the coyote's head, killing it instantly. I kick it off of me, it falls to the ground with a hard thud. I charge to the others, ready to kill. The fellow coyotes snarls and snap at me ferociously. One of the coyote charges at me and I charge at it, it leaps into the air, aiming for my throat. I swing my knife at the right second, I slash it's not, causing it to be collapsed to the ground. It whimpers and shakes in agony. I don't take chances, I penetrate it's skull with my knife. There are now two coyotes left. Both of them are circling me, snapping and barking at me fiercely. These two coyotes act as a tag team, one lunging at me from the front and the other from the back. I feel as if all of my senses are advanced. Swiftly, I kicked the back coyote in the jaw, then I automatically slash the knife to slit the throat of the coyote that jumps for my throat.

Instantly I whirl around to slit the throats of the coyotes I injured. I hear Molly's soft weeping and I look at the tree. Chelsea's eyes are wide with alarm, she flinches when I give her a livid glare. Molly is trembling like a leaf, terror reflects in her eyes. I trot over to the tree, Chelsea stiffens. "Come down. Let's go!" Molly is the first person to come down, she is eager to leave and drops herself into my arms. Chelsea's face flushes. I catch a glimpse of my wounded thigh, though I could not feel it. My right leg is caked with blood, my hair is tousled and my hat is hanging off my head. "Come down," I order Chelsea.

I place my knife on my pant pocket and turn around. "On my back, Chelsea."

Chelsea obeys me silently. Her little arms wrap around my neck.

Molly is in my arms and she is weeping softly to herself. The poor thing is quite shaken.

I walk as briskly as I can up the path. "Look out for Walkers." I command to Chelsea and Molly. Neither of them say anything to me.

I trot up the same path, all of my limbs are completely numb. I feel so surreal right now. During the walk, Chelsea only speaks to me. She whispers softly into my ear.

"Am I in trouble?"

That question alone makes me infuriated. I turn my head slightly to shoot her a bitter look. "What do you think?" I snap.

Chelsea flinches. "Sorry."

I say nothing back.

I ponder in my mind how Chelsea managed to climb up a tree. She's only one years old and is passed most of the typical milestones. I never expected her to be so gifted. The branch was very low, so it's not impossible for Chelsea to climb up there. On one hand, deep down, I'm impressed that Chelsea was smart enough to climb a tree to escape danger. But on the other hand, Chelsea ran off with her friend and nearly got killed. If the coyotes didn't get them, surely the walkers would have.

Then I suddenly hear rustling nearby. Molly releases out a shrill shriek when three emerges out of the bushes. I put both of the children on the ground as I prepare to kill them. "Stay behind me!" I bark. I focus on one walker, the two others are behind him. When I am close enough, I kick the walker's bony leg, jamming my knife into it's skull. I lunge at another, with a swift movement, I penetrate the walker's the chin, I kick it's chest, colliding it with the third one. I desperately desire a gun. The third walker appears to be too weak to shove off the dead walker on him. I take this chance to collect the children. Molly leaps into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably, and Chelsea clinging to my back. This time, I throw caution into the wind and I sprint.

I run as fast as I can through the forest. When I come to the hole, I point a finger to the hole. "Crawl!" I command. The two children jumps off of me and obeys my order. After they are all on the other side, I crawl through the hole, joining them. Chelsea is staring at me with watery eyes. Molly is sitting on the ground, crying her little heart out.

"THANK GOD!" Emma runs to us. I look up at the backdoor entrance and there are four adults staring at us with wide eyes.

I have to suppress my urge to slap the shit of this woman. "CHELSEA AND AJ ARE NEVER COMING HERE AGAIN!" I yell. Emma stops in her tracks, her face falls. She turns ashen with panic. "I am so sorry! It was an accident!" She apologizes.

I roll my eyes at her. "Chelsea!" I snap. Chelsea's eyes widens with alarm. "We are going home!"

Chelsea's lips fumble, she points to Molly. "But..." Her voice weakens when I shoot her a stern glare. I hurry over to her and scoop Chelsea up into my arms. "Now!" I bark. I march into the Daycare, heading for the entrance door. AJ is sitting alone beside the door, waiting for me.

"CLEM!" AJ squeals happily.

Then I feel searing agony inside of my right thigh. Finally all of the adrenaline is fading from my body. I drop onto my knees with a shriek. I clench onto Chelsea, making sure she didn't drop to the floor. AJ runs to me with tears in his eyes. "CLEM!" He cries.

"Dammit, my leg!" I howl. The pain is unbearable and I begin to tremble uncontrollably.

Chelsea understands the urgency of the situation and screams at the top of her lungs. "Clem is hurt!" I hear thundering footsteps coming to me.

"Clem is hurt!" AJ echoes, he hugs my left arm tightly.

"Get the nurse! Get Elena!" I hear someone scream. I look down at my wounded thigh closer, it is deep and bleeding profusely. I can see my exposed flesh and I gag. Panic fills me to the brim. I'm too scared to move, I stiffen like a statute.

I feel cold hand grab my shoulders. "Clementine, please!" I hear a woman's alarmed voice. I turn my head to a tall woman with curly red hair. "We need to get you in the nurse office." She tells me.

I didn't fight her as desperation curls inside of me. The woman looks to be in her late forties and is wearing nurse blue scrubs.

She escorts me to the nurse office, which is across from where I was. I move as slowly as possible, trying to make sure my wound doesn't further tear. My head floats as Elena helps me up on the padded table in her small office.

"This is going to hurt." Elena warns me. I grit my teeth, and I shriek under my breath when Elena swiftly begins to pours a stinging liquid on my wound. "Sorry, I need to clean it first."

"Clem?" I hear Chelsea's small voice in the room. I can't see her.

"Go outside!" Elena says strictly.

Chelsea doesn't have time to protest as Emma grabs her. "Come on, Chelsea." Chelsea makes no sound as she is taken out of the room. "No one in the room!" Emma orders. I exhale sharply through my clenched teeth as Elena starts stitching my wound. I do my best to not trembling from the sharp pain.

"AH!" A short scream escapes my throat as she continues to stitch. I feel like I'm on fire.

"Sorry." Elena whispers to me. "This looks very deep. Can you tell me what happened?"

I speak through my heavy inhaling and exhaling. "I got bit by a coyote."

Elena's eyes widen with horror. "You fought off a coyote!" She gasp. "That is amazing."

Emma barges into the room, sniffling emotionally. "Clementine, I am deeply sorry about all of this! It was an accident. We made a mistake, her and Molly were playing around the Playground like the other kids. The day was completely normal. We had snack time and we even had class before recess."

"You have a hole in the fence and in the wall behind it!" I admonish. "I'm shocked Chelsea and Molly are the only kids that went missing!"

Emma cries harder. "I'm sorry. I thought the workers fixed that long ago! We did not know about it!"

I roll my eyes at this.

"Nothing like this will happen again!" Emma promises.

I decide to temporarily let go of my resentment for this woman. Regardless of what she says, Chelsea and AJ will never take another step in this place. But I needed something to distract me as my searing stitching continues. "What did she do?" I say, cushioning my harsh tone.

"Chelsea was very hyper. She was making friends left and right. When we did class time, she showed remarkable intelligence. She was actually pretty quick to pick up on certain subjects. She seemed to understand math and reading. She actually led the reading during class and she kept volunteering for it." Emma sounds highly impressed. "She is very gifted."

I smile at this proudly. "What else did she do?"

"She did argue with staff members. When someone else was picked for reading time, she threw a tantrum and we had to put her in timeout."

I let out an amused chuckle. "Yeah, that's Chelsea." AJ flashes in my mind. "AJ?" I flinch from the pain.

"AJ was good. Quiet. He kept to himself." Emma answers precisely. I sigh at that. I really wish AJ was as outgoing as Chelsea. "He is a good little boy, he didn't cause any trouble."

When Elena finishes stitching up my thigh, "You should go to the doctor if it swells up. This will leave a scar."

I smile faintly at her. "Thank you," I whisper.

Elena doesn't let me leave. "You should rest for a few minutes. We will provide a meal for you and your kids." She tells me in a tender voice.

Therefore I lay down on the padded table, I hear parents gathering their children one by one. Many of the children are informing them about all of the events that occurred today. Most of the staff members go home, leaving only me, Chelsea, AJ, Emma, and Elena here.

Elena exits the office to get something for me and Chelsea barges into the room. "Clem?" She calls out.

"What?" Anger is still prominent in my voice.

Chelsea is silent for a short moment. When she speaks, her voice is shaky. "Sorry."

"Did you say sorry to Molly?"

"Yes."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing. She was very sad."

"How is AJ?"

"He's sad too." Chelsea whimpers.

I can't hold my anger anymore. "Chelsea, what you did was dangerous and irresponsible! What were you thinking?" I snarl.

"I wanted to go outside." Chelsea whispers.

"You could have been killed by walkers or animals!" I bark. "What you did was stupid! Never do that again!"

Chelsea's voice shrink. "I'm sorry." She is quiet for a long time before whispering her next question.

"I'm getting timeout?"

"Don't ask me stupid questions!" I hiss. Chelsea says nothing after that. I'm simmering with anger. I can't lose Chelsea. I wouldn't know how to live without AJ or Chelsea. If I lost either of them, I would not survive the blow. I turn my head to look down at Chelsea. She is sitting on the floor limply, tears flowing down her cheeks, her eyes avoiding mine.

I smile at her faintly. I love her so much. My rambunctious, gifted, and strong-willed little girl.

It is late in the afternoon when I am strong enough to walk home. I hold both of AJ and Chelsea's hands as we walk home, Chelsea is silent as a mouse and AJ squeezes my hand tightly.

I put AJ and Chelsea to bed once I arrive. Chelsea looks at me with wide eyes, but remain quiet.

I bend down to put a soft kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight." I whisper gently.

Chelsea nods accordingly and goes to sleep.

 _ **Next chapter will come soon. I'm waiting for the last episode so I can have the full story and how Clementine's story is going to end. I am still working my other stories, check them out and leave reviews and thoughts.**_


	8. The Separation

_For a long time, I always wanted a home. So when I found Richmond, I was elated. I had food, water, and a home for me and the kids. I think of what Lee would tell me how to deal with them. He saved me many times and took care of me when I was small. In order to care for Chelsea and AJ, I have to be Lee. When I nearly lost Chelsea, I contemplated what my purpose is in life. What would I do if I lose either them? My rambunctious and bouncy Chelsea and my mild and quiet Alvin Junior. They were different from everyone else I have traveled with. I only allowed certain people into my heart. I avoid people planting their roots inside of me. When they're ripped out, it is unbearable. I loved them, I needed them to survive._

 _The weeks after the incident, I found it impossible to relax. I suffered many nightmare fueled in nights. I never took Chelsea or AJ back to the Daycare. I didn't feel comfortable enough to leave there. Ava is my only trusted ally here in Richmond so I asked her if she could help me._

 _She had to harangue a deal with David about letting Chelsea and AJ travel with us. This only made David's relationship with me further sour. Chelsea's 2nd birthday is coming and she keeps showing more and more of her personality. Her curiosity is growing higher and her personal opinions are starting to form. She is becoming bossy, always demanding something to done in a certain way. I can see her becoming a perfectionist. When she plays with her toys with AJ, AJ must play the way she wants to play. If not, she calls him names. She never lost her strong-willed nature, but after that near-death experience, Chelsea learned her lesson. Ava told me about the terrible twos, but I already know what to expect. Chelsea already has had fierce tantrums compared to AJ. Sometimes they're violent, one day I took her favorite doll because she called AJ a name, she reacted by screaming at the top of her lungs and throw the rest of her toys around the room. Usually when she has her typical tantrums, I ignore her. But when they are violent, I put her to bed early and put all of her toys into my room._

 _AJ is still the easy one for me. He simply allows Chelsea to boss him around. Both of them are close to each other. He's cautious, mild-tempered and easygoing._

 _The only good thing that came out of the Daycare was the information of Chelsea's brightness. Days after I left that Daycare, Ava helped me set up a little school for the two inside of the apartment. Emma was correct, Chelsea is quite gifted and a quick learner. She seems to have this unusual mental capacity for processing information. When we come home, Chelsea begs me to start "school" for her and AJ. She always aces all of the "test" I give her and AJ. She even finally learned how to say my full name. Those tender moments are the moments I love those moments. Moments of peace and harmony. Moments of bonding and affection. These two kids are my lifeline and I will do anything for them._

 _I finally became a full-fledged member of the New Frontier, sporting their mark on my shoulder._

 _Me and the Hunters all set up camp in the woods on a two-week trip. On the first week, AJ gets sick. Terribly sick. The primary Doctor of the New Frontier, Dr. Lingard accompanied us and he just gave him cough syrup, not wishing to use many medical supplies on him. For days, we are on the move. Killing walkers, hunting animals, and gathering scraps from the forest._

 _When it is the night of Chelsea's 2nd birthday, AJ's illness worsens._

It is a chilling night, I wake up to see Chelsea and AJ both sleeping. I am amazed by how much Chelsea and AJ has grown. Chelsea's golden hair is slightly longer and curler, her little face is now oval-shaped. AJ's black hair is bushy and thick and both of them are getting bigger.

I examine AJ closer. AJ is frighteningly pale, he looks malnourished and weak. My blood runs cold.

"Oh my God." I gasp. I accidentally wake up Chelsea. Her eyes flutter and she stirs.

She yawns tiredly. "What?" Chelsea sees my panicked expression.

"AJ is sick," I explain.

Chelsea's eyes widen with concern.

"We need medicine," I mutter. Bitterness rolls my tongue. "Unfortunately David or Lingard will not let me take the meds."

"Why not? He needs it." Chelsea argues.

I nod. "I asked them, they all said no."

Chelsea tilts her head slightly, her eyes gleamed with inquisitiveness. "Why? Is someone else sick?"

I shake my head. "Not to my knowledge." All I know is that I must have them. Lingard brought one bottle of penicillin with him for the trip. Taking it away from him will be easy. He is usually on drugs anyway, but it is everyone else I am worried about.

"Are you going to steal it?" Chelsea inquire. I'm taken aback from that question. I am planning to do that. I have no other choice. I decide to be honest with Chelsea. I personally don't like lying in general.

"I'm going to get it from them," I say.

"What if they don't give it to you?" Chelsea inquire.

"Then I will find another way," I answer precisely.

Chelsea gazes at me with wide eyes as if she is seeing me in a different light. "How can I help?" She ask. Once again, her question takes me by surprise.

"You can't. I want you to stay in the tent." I rebuke. Chelsea frowns at me displeased.

"Why not?" Chelsea fumes, her face reddening.

"No, Chelsea. Stay in the tent."

Chelsea is obstinate. "I can help you, Clem." She insist.

I stand up, Chelsea keeps her eyes on me. "No, Chels. I don't want you to get into trouble!" I pluck AJ from the ground. I catch a glimpse of Chelsea rolling her eyes at me.

I head for the entrance of the tent, then I pause and turn my head towards Chelsea. "Stay in here," I command. Chelsea says nothing in response. I take her silence as obedience and I walk out of the tent. My tent is at the very back of the camp, so I have to keep low as I careen about Lingard. There is a blazing campfire in the center of the camp. Everyone is roaming and pacing around, I see David sitting near the campfire to a burly man. I have to be careful, David is fairly close to Lingard. Ava is keeping watch out, so she is out of my sight. I kneel down, keeping low from sight. Lingard has his own shelter where he stores all of the medical supplies. His shelter consists of an old couch and his wall of small shelves under a fortress of cloth.

Lingard is laying limply on his rotten couch, he is pale with heavy bags under his eyes.

I hear little footsteps and I turn my head to see Chelsea scampering out of the tent.

"Dammit." I mutter softly.

"David!" I hear Chelsea exult. Her voice is ebullient and sweet. "Can I show my new trick?" She offers. I make a mental note to be angry at Chelsea for not listening to me. But at the same time, I'm glad that Chelsea is distracting David for me. David sounds baffled. "Why are you up so late? Where's Clementine?" He demands.

"Clementine is asleep. I really want to show you my trick! I worked really hard on it. Please!"

"Fine, make it quick." David says.

Chelsea burst out giggling. I use this advantage to head over to the shelves. There is a bottle of medicine and a syringe.

"How am I going to keep AJ quiet?" I think to myself. I recollect Chelsea getting her blood drawn and how loud she was.

"Look! Look!" Chelsea chirps delightfully. I hear more footsteps heading over to her. Chelsea's high pitched giggling grows as more people come and watch her. I'm honestly curious of what she is doing exactly to distract them so much, but I focus on the task at hand. I grab the syringe and I slowly grab the bottle. I inject the liquid into the syringe, I pull it out, getting out all of the bubbles.

I look at AJ, he is wide awake, but still weak and dazed.

I smile at him. "You're going to feel better, AJ." I whisper.

With that, I place AJ on a small box, I slowly inch the needle towards his arm. "Don't worry, this will only hurt for a second." I hear Chelsea babbling everyone's ears off. I could tell she was enjoying herself.

"Clementine?" I turn my head to see Lingard sitting up on the couch, his voice is dry and small.

He looks terrible.

"Dr. Lingard? What's the matter with you?"

"I'm fine..fine." He murmurs. Lingard eyes this syringe and looks disapproving.

"Clem, please don't." Lingard croaks. "The vancomycin, that's the last of it."

I avert my eyes from him briefly. "He needs this." I think.

"It'll be wasted on AJ."

"It's our only chance." I affirm.

"You know what they do to thieves here." Lingard warns.

I penetrate AJ's arm, but before I could inject the medicine, AJ starts crying. Instantly I shush him. "No, no. It's okay." I whisper gently. But it's too late.

"No! No! Wait!" Chelsea shrieks. Thundering footsteps comes over to me, before I could do anything, David approaches me. His jaw is clenched, his expression is smoldering, and his fists are tightened. "CLEMENTINE!" All of my instincts are in high gear, my mind races. I snatch AJ and I start running.

Ava stops me in my tracks, but walking in front of me. "Clementine.." She mutters in disbelief.

I hear Lingard and David talking briefly. "She...I warned her it was a bad idea!" Lingard declares. I turn my head to see David behind me.

David takes a step closer to Lingard. "You're fucking high again?" He growls. David roughly grabs Lingard's arm to make him sit up all the way.

"Pull yourself together before the other see you! Deal with that damn kid!" David commands harshly.

Lingard is too dazed to respond. He stares at the ground aimlessly. David whirls around to me with a cold glare. "What the fuck were you thinking?" David seethes.

My heart thunders in my chest. I glare at him back. "You stopped trying to help!" I snap. "I couldn't just sit there and watch him die!"

David clenches his teeth. "We stopped because he is a lost cause!" David rolls his eyes at me. "That waste? That will cost someone's life down the line!"

I hear little footsteps sprinting over to us. Chelsea stands right next to me. "Clem was trying to give AJ medicine because he was sick! You should have helped him!" She hiss.

David rolls his eyes at her, but says nothing to her. He continues to berate me. "Someone in this camp!"

"Someone that contributes to our survival!" David continues. I catch a glimpse of Ava staring at an upset Chelsea. She sighs heavily and takes a step towards David. "C'mon, David," She starts. "She was just trying to help her kid."

"Please listen to her," I beg silently.

But my pleas fall on deaf ears. "We should have left him out in the woods a week ago!"

"No! That's horrible!" Chelsea express, pointing a furious finger at him.

I feel tears swelling up in my eyes, I'm happy that Chelsea is putting her input on this. Maybe this will cause Ava to help me. "But look! It's helping…" My voice is a broken whisper.

"It doesn't work that way, Clem. You brought him a peaceful moment, nothing more." Lingard objects.

"That's more than you did!" I hiss. "Any of you!"

This infuriates David, he looks like he wants to slap me. "You ungrateful little shit!" He barks. "We opened our arms to you; we made you one of us! This is how you pay us, by stealing!" He takes a hostile step towards me, I instinctively back away. Other members start walking over to us curiously.

"David! Stop it!" Chelsea cries.

"Be quiet!" David snaps. The intensity in his voice makes Chelsea flinch.

"Don't talk to her like that!" I hiss.

David tightens his fists in rage. "You are just a brat! We helped you! And you repay us by stealing. By putting yourself before the group!" David inhales gently. "You're done here!"

My heart sinks.

"What does that mean?" Chelsea demands tearfully.

David takes another step towards me. I back up, shooting him a glare. "You broke our rules, Clem! Violated our trust! There is no place for you in the New Frontier!"

I roll my eyes impetuously. "I made the right call! One that you refused to make!"

David shrugs his shoulders. "Well I'm making a new one. Get your shit and get out!" He barks. I feel my lungs compressing, a chill runs down my spine. I feel myself shrinking from David's livid glare.

Lingard gives me a brief glance before talking to David. "Maybe we should give her another chance." He suggests. David is not having it. "Don't fight me on this, Paul! You know what if Joan would say if she were here!"

"Get your shit and get out!" David snarls, fury flaring in his eyes. I glare intensely at him, I reach down for Chelsea and snatches her hand.

"Fine." I growl. I begin to walk away, but within a fraction of a second, Hunters begin to swarm me. "Not with them."

My heart jumps into my throat. "What?" I gasp. All of my senses heightened with panic and I try to run for an opening. But the Hunters form a wall infront of me, glaring down at me. "You're out!" David barks.

Before I could do anything, AJ is snatched out of my arms. A pained scream escapes my throat. "NO!" AJ cries at the top of his lungs. Someone yanks my arm, my grip on Chelsea's hand slips and I'm tossed aside. "CLEM!" Chelsea shrieks, she attempts to make a beeline for me, but David swiftly grabs her arm, stopping her. "Enough!" He barks.

"You monsters!" I shriek, tears streaming down my face.

"NO! NO! NO! NO!" Chelsea shrieks.

Chelsea roughly kicks at David's legs, prompting him to pick her up. "Enough, stop it, right now, young lady!" But David doesn't know the full extent of Chelsea's fiery temper. Chelsea thrashes and squirms to get out of his grip. David loses his patience every passing second, doing his best not to drop her. David glares at me. "Great job raising this kid!" I roll my eyes impetuously. Chelsea is able to bury her teeth into David's thumb. She bites him so hard that she draws blood, David releases out a cry, dropping Chelsea to the ground. She hits the ground on her stomach with a hard thud. "AH!" Chelsea yelps.

"Chels!" I run towards her, but David steps infront of me. "I want to be with Clem! I want to be with Clem!" She screams at the top of her lungs. Everyone freezes in fright of the shrill sounds of her screaming. I could see veins poking out of David's forehead. "Shut up, Chelsea!" He barks.

Chelsea is not having it. "NO, poopyhead!" She shrieks.

I interject, shooting David a glare. "David, Chelsea, and AJ need to come with me! There is no reason why they shouldn't!"

"You're not going to go anywhere with them! You can't raise them. And it is a death sentence to allow them to be with you out there!"

"NO!" Chelsea scrambles to her feet, her brown eyes waters, and she lunges for me. David grabs her arm swiftly. "No. Enough." David gestures to the other Hunters to get her. "Put her to bed!" He commands. Chelsea manages to bite David once more, biting him like a savage dog gnawing into a bone. David instinctively yanks his bleeding hand and Chelsea darts to me. Chelsea clings to me like a vine, wrapping her arms around my leg.

"Let AJ go! Chelsea is coming with me!" I scream, my legs automatically run for him, but someone grabs my shirt from behind.

David glares at me. "Great job, raising that little brat! Considering her behavior, she is just as much as a danger to this community as you! You should have already taught her that screaming and yelling is how you attract those walkers!"

Though I want to shoot David the middle finger for that remark, I smile at this small victory.

"This is over, Clementine." David berates. "You betrayed our trust and broke our rules!" David approaches me cautiously. If no one was holding me back, I would lunge at him.

"Any last words?"

I response by spitting in his face. Chelsea sticks out her tongue at him.

Ava glares at me disapprovingly. "Really, Clem?" She belittles. I roll my eyes, still glaring at David.

"Get her out," Someone yanks me back, dragging me away from the camp.

I see AJ in the background, he reaches his hand out to me, crying his heart out. "Clem!" He wails.

 _ **Next chapter will come soon. Reviews and thoughts.**_


	9. The Two of Us

_**Currently, I am writing my other stories, O. Experiment, the Infection, and other new stories for this month and next month. I am pretty occupied due to major changes in my life, so chapters may or may not take long depending on my infrequent downtime. For the people who read the O. Experiment, the update will come later in a month or early month depending on my schedule**. _

It is a snowy night when I head back to the hut with a deceased rabbit for dinner. I hear a slight crunch of snow. All of my senses are high and I turn my head to see Ava crouching behind a large rock. She seems to think I don't see her. All I feel is contempt when I see her. She betrayed me. She allowed David to steal AJ away from me. Suspicion floods my mind.

 _Why the hell is she here?_ _She's probably still angry that I spat into David's face. Maybe she's here to rough me up or worse._

Instinctively I yank my knife out.

Ava springs from the rock with alarmed eyes. "Whoa, Clem! It's just me!" She cries. "I just want to talk." I put my knife back as she walks over to me with a duffel bag. I stand in the doorway with my arms crossed. I glare at her intensely when she approaches me. "What the hell do you want?" I growl.

"I know how pissed you, Clem." Ava's voice has underlying compassion, but I defiantly avert my eyes from her. Ava doesn't understand how I feel at all. She never could. She has David and Richmond. I have no one.

"Spitting in David's face got that point across." She says offhandedly. I discreetly roll my eyes.

Ava lets out a soft sigh. "Believe me or not, I am very sorry about what happened."

I want to scream at her. "If you did, AJ would still be with me, bitch!" But only harsh words escape my throat.

"Fuck off!" I snap. I loathed the sight of her, I wanted her to just disappear. Ava shrugs slightly and looks a little flustered. "Heh, I deserved that." She says passively.

"I'm not here to upset you."

"Too late," I retort bitterly.

Ava sighs ruefully. "I want to give you something." With that, she puts down the duffel bag at my feet. "That's not much, but this was all I could get."

I keep my glare on Ava. "I'm getting AJ back." I declare.

Ava frowns. "That's not going to happen. You're not allowed in Richmond. I'm sorry."

"Where's Chelsea?" Ava's eyes dart back and forth.

"Sleeping in the hut." I evade eye contact.

I bend down at the duffel bag, it is already unzipped and I see several items in there. Candy bars, bottles of water, two cans of food, a small coat for Chelsea, a sheet of paper, and an Alice in Wonderland book. Curiously, I pick the paper up. It is a messy scribble with crayons.

"What is this?" I demand coldly.

"AJ drew it." My heart sinks. He's alive. I feel tears building up in my eyes. "He drew it after you...David wanted you to have it. It calmed him down."

"This...thank you." I sigh softly.

Ava kneels down to me with a faint smile. "You're welcome. Consider it a peace offering? We care about you. Just try to remember that even if it feels wrong, people can still be trying to do the right thing for you."

Ava's voice becomes stern. "Listen, it is dangerous out here and right now, you're hurting." She narrows her eyes. "Whatever you do, don't let what happened to you," She stands up. "You need to keep a level head. Plan after that."

My anger is simmering inside of me. But I understand her point. "I can make it on my own," I say firmly. Even though I appreciate her kindness, but I do not want to see her anymore. Her betrayal is still rooted in my mind. I can't trust her.

"Well, there is a place I think you should look at, Prescott. I heard it is a safe place. But it's quite far." Ava appears pensive, rubbing her temples.

Absorbing in her words, I stand up. "Goodbye, Ava." I extend out a civil hand. "Thank you for everything." Ava looks at me with an unreadable expression. "Good luck, Clementine." She says finally. She shakes my hand briefly. Ava turns around and walks off. I watch as Ava departs from me without looking back.

I return back inside of the hut to see a wide awake Chelsea lying on her little pile of sheets I made for her. She sits upright once I close the door. I frown at the dismal sight of Chelsea. She looks like she's been crying with her puffy eyes and reddish cheeks.

"Who was that?" Chelsea whispers.

"Just an old face. Go back to sleep."

Chelsea doesn't listen and arches an eyebrow. "David?"

I shake my head. "No. It was just Ava."

Chelsea scrambles to her feet, her eyes flashing with anticipation. "Did she bring AJ?" She inquires.

"No, she just came to give me a few things." Chelsea lowers her eyes to the floor. I place the duffel bag on a nearby chair. "She told me about a safe place we're going to." I proceed to pull out the Alice in Wonderland book.

Chelsea's eyes glisten with curiosity. "What's that?"

"Alice in Wonderland," I say gently. I stroll over to her. "Can't sleep?"

Chelsea shakes her head. "No. I keep having bad dreams." Chelsea whimpers.

I smile faintly at her, sitting down beside her with the book on my lap. "About AJ, huh?"

Chelsea nods. "Yep. AJ..David...the walkers."

I gesture to the book. "Well, I'll read this to you tonight. It may clear your head a little." I point a finger at the Alice character. "Look, she looks just like you!" I remark. I make sure my voice is tender. "All you need now is a little dress and you'll be Alice." I then rustle her hair, hoping I would get a giggle out of her. But Chelsea simply sits there.

Chelsea takes a good look at the Alice in Wonderland book. I could tell she is inquisitive about its content, but her worrying thoughts were too overwhelming.

"But where is AJ?"

"Still in Richmond. He's safe there, no walkers, no monsters."

Chelsea's mood drastically changes. "David is a monster! He's bad! He took AJ away!" She shrieks. Chelsea angrily stomps her foot. "AJ is not safe!"

I sigh wearily. "David is not a monster. He's just...well..different."

Chelsea scoffs and rolls her eyes at me as if I was stupid. "Yes, he is! He's a monster, monsters hurt you!" Chelsea points a stiff finger at me. "Monsters scare you! Monsters take away people! David is a monster!" She insists.

I arch an eyebrow, I know what she means. "I'm sure David was good. Most people are."

Chelsea frowns disapprovingly. "David is not good."

I sigh. "Even David. He's just different." Even though I hated David for taking away AJ, I'm sure he was once a different person before the outbreak. We all were.

"Different?" Chelsea furrows her eyebrows.

"Some people turn mean to survive."

A flash of anger appears in Chelsea's face. "I hope David gets bit!"

"CHELSEA!" I raise my voice. "Do not talk like that, young lady!"

Chelsea's frown morphs into a bitter scowl. "He's bad!" She points out. "He's like the walkers. He's a monster!"

I clench my jaw tightly. "Chelsea, do not say things like that ever!" I rebuke.

I narrow my eyes. Chelsea is always vocal about her opinions. "Chelsea," I kneel down before her. "Chelsea, it is just you and me now. We are going to a place called Prescott. AJ is in Richmond where he is safe with food, water, and shelter. Look, I miss him just like you. But that's just how things are right now."

Chelsea stomps her foot harder onto the floor. "But I don't want to go, I don't want to go to Prescott! I just want AJ!"

"You have to! We have no other choice!"

Chelsea stomps her foot angrily. "I don't!" She shrieks.

I sigh a little under my breath. Explaining to Chelsea why she has to do something she doesn't want to do is never something I look forward to is always a nightmare.

I feel my head starting to split. "We just need to focus on finding a new home."

Every passing second Chelsea becomes more and more passionate. "But AJ needs a new home too! We can't leave him!"

"Chelsea, calm down your voice, young lady!" I rebuke.

Chelsea ignores me. "NO! WE CAN'T LEAVE AJ! NEVER!" She screams. My heart thunders in my chest. I feel my anger vibrating through my body, I inhale and exhale sharply to calm my nerves.

"Enough! Chelsea! You need to go to sleep right now!" I raise my voice.

Chelsea rolls her eyes defiantly. Her little face contorts with disgust and anger. "AJ is alone and you don't care!" She cries. With that, Chelsea rushes past me and across the room. I hear her angrily mumbling to herself.

Chelsea sequester in a corner and starts to cry softly. She is curled into a pitiful fetal position.

I stand up, but I didn't know what to say or do. I understand why Chelsea is upset. She misses AJ just as much as me. I want to hug her, comfort her, telling her that everything will be okay.

"We can still read Alice in Wonderland." I offer gently.

Chelsea releases out a soft sob and doesn't respond to me.

I keep trying. Anything to make her smile. "Come on, you love books. Alice in Wonderland is a classic!" I encourage.

Chelsea sniffles and looks up at me. "I don't want to read." Chelsea doesn't wait for me to respond as she scrambles to her feet and to her little sheet bed.

I sigh wearily.

* * *

AJ is always in the back of my mind. I hold Ava's advice close to my heart. I need to survive. I do. For Lee. For AJ. For Chelsea. Prescott is my only focus. I leave the hut once the snowfall ceases. Ava never returned to me. The weather is frigid, ground heavy with snow. Luckily for me, I have my thick coat to keep me warm.

For three days straight, we walk. It is when Chelsea and I's feet started bleeding when I had to settle somewhere. I resort to giving Chelsea a piggyback ride to bring relief to her feet.

"It hurts! My feet hurt!" Chelsea weeps softly. Chelsea struggles to stay quiet, covering her mouth as she cries.

"I know. Mine hurt too. But we will find a place soon."

"You said that before!" Chelsea whimpers.

"I know, but we will."

Chelsea sniffles loudly. "My feet hurt. My feet hurt." She weeps. Her pain-stricken voice pierces my heart. But mine were stinging with sharp pain, my movement limp and aching. I feel as if I'm stepping on shattered glasses with bare feet.

"Dammit!" I hiss through my teeth.

"Clem!" Chelsea suddenly shrieks. "Walker!"

I pause when I hear the guttural groans of Walkers, piercing my eardrums. My blood runs cold as I see masses and masses of Walkers staggering towards me. My heart erupts in my chest, panic runs through my veins. I can't kill them all, there are too many. They roam through the outskirts and large parts of the forest. My heart jumps into my throat, my hand grips my gun. I have no good chance of fighting them, so I do my best to evade them. I spill onto a long road and I sprint down. When the moaning of the walkers lessened, I feel my body relax.

Then I smell it. The sickening stench of rotting flesh blankets the air in a choking aroma. My heart jolts with alarm and I pause in my tracks. I draw out my gun for protection. But it is something worse. I see four bodies lying in the middle of the road, their esophagus and arteries sticking out like so much corrugated and rubber tubing. A man, a woman, a boy, and a girl, all ravaged by the horde of walkers. I could feel Chelsea trembling uncontrollably. She releases out a small shriek and I instantly shush her. "Do not make a noise!" I snap. Chelsea manages to stifle her shrieking, clutching my head tightly.

"Close your eyes," I eye the van as it is the only available shelter.

Chelsea listens to me, still trembling like a little leaf in a storm. I pull out my knife to ensure they are not a danger. I creep towards them, quietening my breathing. Chelsea is deathly silent, so silent that I almost forget that she is perched on my shoulders.

As I get closer and closer, the moonlight lightens my sight. The closest is a young girl with dark brown hair, her face and arms riddled with raw teeth marks. Her eyes are closed shut, but then I notice the single hole on the left side of her head. I take a step back as I gaze at the other bodies.

None of them are moving. Not even a mere twitch. I examine them one by one. All of them has one bullet hole in their head. When I come to the man, I see a gun lying in his limp hand.

"Jesus..." I hiss through my teeth. I never saw anything so tragic before. I glance up at the van to see that the front door is slightly ajar.

"Keep your eyes closed and hold your breath!" I order. Chelsea is quiet and I proceed to trot to the van. I pull the front door open and I smile when I see blankets in the backseat, ten canned food and two bottles of water in the trunk. We both crawl inside and I close the door. I put Chelsea in the passenger seat.

"Clem, were those people walkers?" Chelsea suddenly ask. "They didn't look like walkers."

I shuffle in my chair uncomfortably, debating whether I should answer her question. I personally did not want Chelsea to see something like that scene. "No. They were not walkers. They were just people."

Chelsea's eyes flash with confusion. "What happened to them?"

I measure my words. "They seemed to have been bitten. And they didn't want to turn." I explain softly.

Chelsea appears thoughtful, absorbing my words like a sponge. "Why didn't they turn?"

 _How do I explain this to a two-year-old?_ Chelsea in her own right is a smart little girl, but I'm not sure how I should explain the concept of turning and death to her. But at the same time, I feel that it is necessary to start teaching her early.

"When you get bit, you will turn, you know that right?" I start.

Chelsea nods accordingly. "Yeah..I know."

"Well in order to not turn, you have to...kill...the brain."

Chelsea tilts her head curiously. "Why?"

I didn't know how to answer that question. All I knew was that destroying the brain is essential.

"I'm not sure why. But you have to destroy the brain. Most people use the bullet to stop it."

Chelsea appears uneasy. "That sounds scary. Does it hurt?"

I'm quiet for a moment. I regret explaining this to her. No two year old can have a good comprehension of death.

"I'm not sure what's it is like to turn. But you have to destroy the brain to prevent it. You have to." I insist.

Chelsea nods accordingly. I could tell that Chelsea is somewhat understanding my words, though she still appears slightly perplexed. "So David should not be a walker." Her treble voice has softened into a weak whisper.

I nod. "Exactly. No one deserves to be a walker." I declare.

Chelsea slumps in her seat. "No one?" She probes. "Even David?"

"Not even David." Chelsea releases out a heavy sigh, but nods agreeing.

I allow exhaustion to overtake me and I wrap Chelsea in a cocoon of blankets. "Night, night," I whisper.

When I dream, I find myself on the train. Even though it has been years after Lee's death, I will always remember our time on the train. It was the day I changed into the survivor I am now. I was a weak and small little girl with bushy hair. So Lee decided to teach me how to shoot a gun and he cut my hair short.

I sit on the edge of the speeding train, enjoying the rushing wind against my face. I'm small once more, looking down at my fancy shoes, I feel great envy.

"Hi, Sweetpea." Lee's voice makes me jerk. I always know that he is in my dreams, but it is always exulting to hear his voice.

I turn around to see him towering over me.

"Train, again?" He says lightly. His tone makes me chuckle slightly.

"It's just my favorite place to go," I admit.

Lee sits next to me with a broad smile. "So something wrong?" He inquires.

All of the happiness I feel from seeing Lee fades away, replaced with sorrow. "I and AJ, I know I already told you all of this. I only have Chelsea left. But I'm not sure if I can keep her and me alive for long."

Lee scrutinizes me. "Clem, you survived this long. You survived with two kids all by yourself."

"I lost one." I insist.

"You will find a way to get him back. I know you, Clem. You're not a person that just gives up when things get tough. One day, you'll see Alvin Junior again one day. I know."

Lee then adds. "I'm positive you will make it work with Chelsea. What is she like?"

"She's very hyperactive but really sweet. She tends to be a handful at times." I describe.

"Sounds like someone I know." Lee muse. He is attempting to cheer me up, but I can't find the strength to smile.

Lee shrugs. "Everyone is different, Clem."

I sigh remorsefully. I feel so dumb for not realizing that.

"But she cares about you. You're her new hero, Clem. You have people who depend on you now. I know AJ is missing you. Just work with Chelsea, and one day, when you're prepared, get him."

"But where would we even go?" I say somberly. "I have no place to live. No group or place to call home."

"Either you find one or make one," Lee advise.

I arch an eyebrow at Lee. Talking to him is always refreshing.

"You'll find a way, Sweetpea. I know." Lee says kindly.

I finally find the strength to smile. "Thanks, Lee." I throw myself to him, locking him in a tight embrace.

Then I wake up. Chelsea is fast asleep in the passenger seat. All of Lee's wise words are echoing through my mind.

"I will do whatever I can," I vow.

 ** _Next chapter will come soon. I'm going to focus on Chelsea's development. Clem will find a group, but right now, I'm focusing on Chelsea and Clementine's relationship. Sorry for the rewrites and revision. Right now, I'm focusing on the O. Experiment, The Infection, and my other stories._**


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